LEADER OF THE HOUSE

Written Questions

Norman Baker: To ask the Leader of the House whether she plans to facilitate the accountability of regional Ministers through written parliamentary questions.

Helen Goodman: The accountability of regional Ministers is one of the issues which it will be open to the Select Committee on the Modernisation of the House of Commons to consider as part of the inquiry it has announced that it intends to undertake into regional accountability.

HOUSE OF COMMONS COMMISSION

Legal Opinion: Armed Conflict

Graham Allen: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission, if he will take steps to make independent legal advice available to the House and to hon. Members on the legality of  (a) war-making and  (b) voting on war-making.

Nick Harvey: The Commission has no plans to do so. Individual Members are free to draw on any advice they receive. Select Committees may choose to take evidence and report to the House.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Departments: Manpower

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people were employed by his Department on 1 January in each of the last five years; and how many of these staff were  (a) permanent employees,  (b) temporary staff and  (c) contractors.

Paul Goggins: The following table details the number of  (a) permanent and  (b) temporary staff employed within the Northern Ireland Office on the 1 January in each of the last five years. The Northern Ireland Office has no contractors on the payroll.
	
		
			   Total employed  Permanent staff  Temporary staff 
			 2003 1,712 1,667 45 
			 2004 1,795 1,774 21 
			 2005 1,899 1,870 29 
			 2006 1,973 1,921 52 
			 2007 2,074 2,047 27

Departments: Manpower

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many and what percentage of employees in  (a) his Department and  (b) each (i) executive agency and (ii) non-departmental public body funded by his Department, are above state retirement age.

Paul Goggins: The following table details the number of employees and the percentage this represents in  (a) the Northern Ireland Office and  (b) each (i) executive agency who are above state retirement age. Information in relation to (ii) non-departmental public bodies is not available.
	
		
			  Business area  Number of employees aged over 60  Total number of employees  Percentage 
			 NIO CORE 18 676 2.7 
			 Forensic Science NI 4 176 2 
			 Compensation Agency 0 77 0 
			 Youth Justice Agency 1 72 1 
			 Public Prosecution Service 6 558 1 
			 Crown Solicitors Office 2 81 2 
			 NI Prison Service 24 441 5 
			 Staff on Secondment 0 35 0 
			 Total 55 2,188 2.5

Departments: Official Hospitality

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much was spent by his Department on official hospitality in the last 12 months.

Paul Goggins: The following table shows the amount spent on hospitality by the Northern Ireland Office (NIO), excluding its agencies and executive NDPBs, in the last 12 months.
	The figures include hospitality paid for by the NIO, on behalf of other customers. The NIO recoups these amounts. The table illustrates how the recoupment offsets the expenditure.
	
		
			   September 2006 to August 2007 (£) 
			 Expenditure incurred on hospitality by the NIO 453,787 
			 Amount recouped from customers 119,973 
			 Actual amount spent on NIO hospitality 333,814 
		
	
	These figures are based on provisional outturn and are therefore subject to change.
	Expenditure incurred on hospitality by the NIO includes accommodation and hospitality for members of the royal family, visiting dignitaries and Heads of State, and also hospitality for the representatives of business, voluntary and community sectors in Northern Ireland attending the annual garden party at Hillsborough Castle.

Departments: Policy

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what policy changes his Department has implemented since 27 June 2007.

Shaun Woodward: The key objective of my Department remains to build a lasting peace in Northern Ireland based on the Belfast Agreement and St. Andrews Agreement, in which the rights and identities of all traditions are fully respected and safeguarded and in which a safe, stable, just, open and tolerant society can thrive and prosper. This has not changed since 27 June.

Departments: Road Traffic Offences

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many fixed penalty tickets were incurred by vehicles within the purview of his Department in the last year for which figures are available; and what the total cost was.

Paul Goggins: Only one fixed penalty ticket has been incurred and the fine of £60 was paid by the driver.

DEFENCE

Afghanistan

Jeff Ennis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent assessment he has made of overall force protection in Afghanistan.

Des Browne: We keep the threat to UK forces in Afghanistan and the requirements for force protection under constant review.

Afghanistan

Linda Riordan: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on progress made by the armed forces in Helmand province over the last three months.

Des Browne: The UK armed forces in Helmand continue to defeat the Taliban tactically while supporting FCO and DfID programmes to improve governance and provide reconstruction. They continue to provide mentoring and assist in the development of the Afghan security forces as part of our long-term goal to ensure the Afghans can take responsibility for their own security.

RAF Boulmer

Alan Beith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the future of RAF Boulmer.

Bob Ainsworth: At RAF Boulmer there are Air Surveillance and Control Systems units and a Search and Rescue Flight. Work is ongoing into the future location of AS AC units, including those at RAF Boulmer. I will announce the outcome of this work in due course.
	The Private Finance Initiative competition for future UK Search and Rescue Helicopter capability is ongoing and a decision on future Search and Rescue basing has yet to be made.

Drug Seizures

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the volume and value has been of drugs seized by British naval vessels involved in drug operations in 2007; and if he will make a statement.

Bob Ainsworth: The Royal Navy has seized just over 1 tonne of illegal narcotics during 2007, with an estimated UK street value of £49 million. The Royal Navy's presence in the Caribbean and elsewhere provides an important contribution to UK counter- narcotics activity under the leadership of the Serious Organised Crime Agency.

Armed Forces Accommodation

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on recent initiatives to improve shared and single accommodation for armed forces personnel and their families.

Derek Twigg: We anticipate spending some £870 million on living and other accommodation this financial year with over £5 billion being spent over the next 10 years.
	Some 60 per cent. of service homes in Great Britain are now at the highest standard for condition. For Single Living Accommodation significant progress has been made since 2001, and some 50,000 new or improved bedspaces will have been achieved by 2013.

Armed Forces Training

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many members of the armed forces of other countries are training at British training facilities alongside British troops.

Bob Ainsworth: As at 17 October 2007 there were 1,030 foreign armed forces personnel training alongside British troops at facilities in the United Kingdom.

Blackwater USA

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions he has had with his US and Iraqi counterparts on private military company, Blackwater USA.

Des Browne: None.

Iraq

David Gauke: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on future troop levels in Iraq.

Des Browne: I have nothing to add to the statement my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister made on 8 October 2007.

Iraq

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Iraqis the armed forces have employed since 2003; and if he will make a statement.

Des Browne: We estimate that around 20,000 Iraqis have been employed by UK armed forces in Iraq since 2003. Work continues to establish how many of these might be eligible for the package of support announced by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister on 8 October.

Armed Forces: Food Supplies

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what percentage of  (a) beef,  (b) lamb and  (c) pork supplied to the armed forces is sourced from British farms.

Bob Ainsworth: Under the MOD's Food Supply Contract, which commenced on 1 October 2006, approximately 55 per cent. of beef, 13 per cent. of lamb and mutton and 100 per cent. of pork supplied to the armed forces is sourced from British farms.

Special Forces Housing Helpline

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many calls have been made to his Department's special forces housing helpline in the last 12 months.

Derek Twigg: Between October 2006 and September this year, 411,973 calls were made to the Modern Housing Solutions Helpdesk.

Veterans Badges

Neil Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many veterans badges have been issued.

Derek Twigg: I was delighted recently to award the 500,000(th) badge to Sonia Harford on board HMS Belfast. In total, up to 12 October this year, over 518,500 veterans badges have been issued since the badge was introduced in 2004.

Weapons Exports

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent discussions he has had with colleagues in the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform on UK Trade and Investment's role in providing export services for UK weapons manufacturers; and if he will make a statement.

Bob Ainsworth: Defence Ministers have had regular discussions with colleagues in the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform about export services for UK defence manufacturers. Officials from both Departments are also in close contact to ensure that the change of responsibility, announced by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister, on 25 July is implemented effectively.

Joint Personnel Administration System

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent assessment he has made of the operation of the joint personnel administration system; when he expects it to be fully operational; and if he will make a statement.

Derek Twigg: The Joint Personnel Administration system has been successfully rolled out as planned to all three services and is now fully operational. It provides a stable, modern platform to support our services and a recent independent review by the Office of Government Commerce stated that while there was much to do to deliver the full vision and benefit potential, its implementation represented a significant achievement.

Amphibious Vehicles: Devonport

Linda Gilroy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what consideration his Department has given to basing the four Bay class landing ship dock (auxiliaries) alongside the Royal Navy's other amphibious vessels at Devonport;
	(2)  what consideration his Department has given to the merits of basing the Antarctic survey ship HMS Endurance with the remainder of the hydrographic surveying squadron at Devonport.

Bob Ainsworth: holding answer 18 October 2007
	The Naval Base Review concluded that all three naval bases (Clyde, Devonport and Portsmouth) should be retained but optimised. The process of exploring the options for optimising the way the three naval bases individually and collectively provide support to the front line is under way. This work includes an assessment of the impact on the base porting of ships and submarines, and is expected to conclude in the coming months, with the aim of delivering the most effective support to the front line in the future.

Armed Forces: Discharges

Edward Vaizey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what main reasons are cited by service personnel for leaving the armed forces.

Derek Twigg: The main reasons that service personnel give for leaving the armed forces are: the impact of service life on their personal and domestic lives; a lack of job satisfaction; and a change of career or future job opportunities outside the services.

Armed Forces: Health Services

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make it his policy to contribute his Department's funds towards the  (a) capital cost and  (b) revenue expenditure of civilian hospitals and other civilian health service facilities and services provided by the national health service and used extensively by members of HM armed forces; and if he will make a statement.

Derek Twigg: In England, the Department of Health provides funding to primary care trusts (PCTs) to meet their responsibilities. Revenue allocations are made to PCTs on the basis of the relative needs of their populations, to enable them to commission similar levels of health services for populations in similar need. With regard to the armed forces, service personnel are included in the secondary care elements of PCT revenue allocations and excluded from the primary care elements, as the latter services are provided by the Defence Medical Services.
	Funding allocations to particular NHS trusts are based on information from the Office for National Statistics, which is used to determine the demographic (and hence health care) needs of each area. The devolved Administrations of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have similar arrangements for the allocation of funds for health care from their overall budgets.
	The MOD pays the NHS for accelerated access to treatment for its personnel when this is required for operational reasons, under agreements between the MOD and individual NHS trusts. MOD also has specific arrangements with those NHS trusts that host Ministry of Defence Hospital Units, where military doctors and nurses work alongside NHS colleagues to gain clinical training and experience (to enable them to deliver a high standard of medical care on military deployments). The NHS as well as the MOD benefits from these placements, the costs of which are recovered by the MOD in respect of the work undertaken for the NHS that is contractually guaranteed to the trust concerned. Where the MOD requires any special facilities to be provided by an NHS trust for specifically military purposes, whether for military medical training and administration or for the care of military patients, the costs of such provision will again be recovered by the NHS trust concerned.

Armed Forces: Mental Health Services

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how the extra planned funding for Combat Stress will be provided.

Derek Twigg: The extra funding takes the form of increased daily fee rates paid in respect of individual qualifying war pensioners who receive treatment at one of the Combat Stress homes. These payments are made using the power in the war pensions scheme(1) to pay expenses in respect of the medical, surgical or rehabilitative treatment of a former member of the armed forces that are the result of disablement due to service before 6 April 2005. In Scotland, costs are met by the Scottish Health Service.
	(1)Article 21 of The Naval, Military and Air Forces Etc. (Disablement and Death) Service Pensions Order 2006

Ballistic Missile Defence

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions he has had with the United States Administration on options for United Kingdom involvement in the US National Missile Defense Programme; and whether the British Ambassador to the United States has played any part in such negotiations.

Des Browne: holding answer 19 October 2007
	The Ministry of Defence continues to discuss ballistic missile defence issues with the US Administration, on a number of levels. It is not the practice of the Government to make public the details of all discussions with foreign governments as this would, or would be likely to, prejudice international relations.

Bombs

Mark Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what research he has  (a) commissioned and  (b) evaluated on the self-destruct failure rate of the M85 dual purpose bomblet.

Bob Ainsworth: All munitions undergo rigorous and comprehensive testing prior to entering service and are subject to regular in-service trials once they become part of the UK stockpile. I refer my hon. Friend to the answer my predecessor gave on 20 April 2007,  Official Report, column 800W, to my right hon. Friend the Member for Oxford, East (Mr. Smith).

Defence: Surveys

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place in the Library the results of his Department's most recent public attitude survey.

Derek Twigg: I have placed a copy of the latest complete survey in the Library of the House, and will ensure that the results of subsequent surveys are placed there as they arise.

Departments: Consultants

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which private consultancy firms  (a) his Department and  (b) agencies which report to his Department engaged in each of the last three years; which programmes or projects each firm worked on; and what the approximate cost to the Department or agency concerned was of each engagement.

Derek Twigg: The information is not held in the format requested centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	However, I am able to provide the MOD's expenditure on private consultancy companies for the last two financial years and I have made these available in the Library of the House. The expenditure figures for financial year 2005-06 do not include expenditure on manpower substitution and the figures for financial year 2006-07 exclude both manpower substitution and technical consultancy.
	Details of the MOD's expenditure on external assistance since 1995-96 are available in the Library of the House.
	Information on organisations, including consultancy firms, paid £5 million or more by the Department in each financial year is published in the UK Defence Statistics. Copies of this are also available in the House Library.

Departments: Fees and Charges

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the spectrum charge paid by his Department in near cash terms was in each year from 1999-2000 to 2007-08; and what estimate he has made of the amount of the charge in each year from 2008-09 to 2010-11.

Bob Ainsworth: Spectrum charges paid by the Ministry of Defence between financial years 1999 and 2000 and 2007 and 2008 are set out in the following table. The trend in fees reflects a number of factors, including the introduction of spectrum pricing and the implementation of the independent audit of spectrum holdings (the Cave review).
	
		
			   Price paid  (£ million) 
			 1999-2000 12.408 
			 2000-01 22.732 
			 2001-02 22.625 
			 2002-03 23.740 
			 2003-04 24.292 
			 2004-05 24.292 
			 2005-06 55.398 
			 2006-07 49.518 
			 2007-09 49.518 
			  Note: Figures rounded to the nearest 1000 
		
	
	Following the comprehensive spending review 2007, the MOD has entered into discussions with Ofcom over future spectrum fees. It would be inappropriate to release further information at this early stage of these discussions.

Departments: Foot and Mouth Disease

James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what representations his Department has received from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Ministers or officials on public access and countryside activities on his Department's land in  (a) foot and mouth disease risk areas and  (b) foot and mouth disease low risk areas;
	(2)  what restrictions he has placed on public access and leisure activities on his Department's land in foot and mouth disease low risk areas.

Derek Twigg: During the initial outbreaks we had daily contact with DEFRA to clarify public access arrangements and countryside activities in high risk areas.
	The Ministry of Defence has acted in accordance with the regulations published by DEFRA.

Departments: Manpower

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many people were employed by his Department on 1st January in each of the last five years; and how many of these staff were  (a) permanent employees,  (b) temporary staff and  (c) contractors.

Derek Twigg: Information on how many civilian staff were employed by the Department on 1 January 2003 to 2007, broken down by permanent employees and temporary staff, is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Headcount 
			   Permanent  Temporary  Total 
			  1 January 2003
			 Level 1(1) Excluding RFA 79,340 1,520 80,860 
			 Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) n/a n/a 2,450 
			 Level 1(1) n/a n/a 83,300 
			 Locally engaged civilians (LECs) n/a n/a 14,020 
			 Trading fund personnel 12,180 130 12,310 
			 Level 0(2) n/a n/a 109,630 
			 
			  1 January 2004
			 Level 1(1) Excluding RFA 80,140 340 80,480 
			 Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) n/a n/a 2,340 
			 Level 1(1) n/a n/a 82,820 
			 Locally engaged civilians (LECs) n/a n/a 14,760 
			 Trading fund personnel 11,490 190 11,680 
			 Level 0(2) n/a n/a 109,260 
			 
			  1 January 2005
			 Level 1(1) Excluding RFA 80,470 1,260 81,730 
			 Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) n/a n/a 2,340 
			 Level 1(1) n/a n/a 84,070 
			 Locally engaged civilians (LECs) n/a n/a 15,130 
			 Trading fund personnel 11,240 90 11,330 
			 Level 0(2) n/a n/a 110,530 
			 
			  1 January 2006
			 Level 1(1) Excluding RFA 77,490 1,180 78,680 
			 Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) n/a n/a 2,350 
			 Level 1(1) n/a n/a 81,030 
			 Locally engaged civilians (LECs) n/a n/a 16,150 
			 Trading fund personnel 10,970 150 11,120 
			 Level 0(2) n/a n/a 108,300 
			  1 January 2007
			 Level 1(1) Excluding RFA 73,780 1,060 74,850 
			 Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) n/a n/a 2,370 
			 Level 1(1) n/a n/a 77,210 
			 Locally engaged civilians (LECs) n/a n/a 15,280 
			 Trading fund personnel 10,390 160 10,550 
			 Level 0(2) n/a n/a 103,040 
			 n/a = not available as data for RFAs and LECs cannot be split by permanent employees and temporary staff subsets. (1) Level 1 is defined as all departmental staff including RFAs but excluding LECs and trading fund personnel (2) Level 0 is defined as all departmental staff at Level 1 plus LECs and trading fund personnel.  Note: Information on contractors is not held centrally on the Department's Human Resource Management System (HRMS).  Source: DASA(Quad Service)

Departments: Official Hospitality

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much was spent by his Department on official hospitality in the last 12 months.

Derek Twigg: We routinely publish this information in our Annual Report and Accounts (see page 244 of HC 697 of 23 July 2007 for 2006-07 expenditure). Copies are available in the Library of the House and also online at:
	http://www.mod.uk/NR/rdonlyres/8A6AC2Dl-3CA3-4C12-82F8-5AD8C1800FFA/0/accounts.pdf

Departments: Publications

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place in the Library a copy of the latest version of  (a) his Department's Corporate Planning Assumptions,  (b) the Defence Programme Directory and  (c) the Defence Strategic Guidance.

Bob Ainsworth: The key elements of the Defence Planning Assumptions can be found in the second Supporting Essay to the 2003 Defence White Paper, 'Delivering Security in a Changing World' (Cm 6041-I) and the annex to 'Delivering Security in a Changing World—Future Capabilities' (Cm 6269) published in July 2004. Since these papers were published, only minor amendments have been made to the assumptions on Strategic Effects.
	The planned force structure derived from the Defence Programme Directory can also be found in the 2004 Command Paper 'Delivering Security in a Changing World—Future Capabilities' (Cm 6269). Since this paper was published there have been no changes to the planned force structure although there have been minor changes to some platform numbers. The complete Defence Programme Directory contains readiness profiles which are classified and for security reasons cannot be placed in the Library.
	Defence Strategic Guidance provides guidance to the Department on how Defence policy should be delivered and includes the complete set of defence planning assumptions. I am withholding the guidance as its release would, or would be likely to, prejudice the defence of the British Isles and the capability, effectiveness or security of our armed forces.

Iraq: Peacekeeping Operations

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when the 140 Mastiff vehicles whose purchase was announced by the Prime Minister on 8 October 2007 will be  (a) delivered and  (b) in use by frontline troops in (i) Iraq and (ii) Afghanistan.

Bob Ainsworth: holding answer 11 October 2007
	I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Congleton (Ann Winterton) during the Defence Procurement debate on 9 October 2007,  Official Report, column 202.

Iraq: Resettlement

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps he plans to take to assist in the identification of Iraqis who have worked for the British Army in relation to investigation of asylum applications based on the implications of such work.

Des Browne: The Ministry of Defence will provide the Home Office with details of those eligible current and former staff who have applied for resettlement or asylum under those terms announced by the Foreign Secretary on 9 October.

Iraq: Resettlement

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what guidance he has issued to the armed forces on terms in contracts for Iraqi workers relating to entitlements to assistance in resettling in  (a) the UK and  (b) elsewhere.

Des Browne: holding answer 17 October 2007
	 The precise details of the scheme are still being refined and will be announced in due course. Specific guidance to staff on implementation will be promulgated shortly thereafter.

Military Aid: Belize

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the cost has been of the assistance provided by the British Army Training and Support Unit to the manatee conservation project in Belize; and what type of helicopter was used by the Army Air Corps to assist the project.

Derek Twigg: On 26 and 28 March 2007 the British Army Training Support Unit Belize provided assistance to the Wildlife Trust's manatee conservation project, in locating, examining and tagging manatees. Two helicopters were involved, a hired Bell 212 operated by 25 Flight Army Air Corps and a RAF Puma. The extra cost of this activity to the Ministry of Defence was £1,765, covering the hire of the Bell 212 for approximately two and a half hours. All armed forces personnel and equipment involved were already in Belize for training purposes.

Peacekeeping Operations

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Armed Forces Parliamentary Scheme visits were  (a) cancelled and  (b) reduced in size in (i) Iraq and (ii) Afghanistan in each year since 2001, broken down by reason.

Derek Twigg: Neither the Ministry of Defence nor the Armed Forces Parliamentary Scheme keep detailed historical records of the details of cancelled Armed Forces Parliamentary Scheme visits to Operational Theatres.

Radioactive Materials

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what definition his Department uses of  (a) special nuclear materials and  (b) other radioactive materials.

Bob Ainsworth: Applied generally within the MOD, the term "special nuclear material" refers to materials associated with nuclear programmes and for which there is a requirement for special handling arrangements.
	"Other radioactive materials" include any substance not included in the above, containing one or more radionuclides, whose activity requires radiation protection.

Royal Regiment of Scotland

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many  (a) people and  (b) non-UK Commonwealth citizens have been recruited to the Royal Regiment of Scotland in each year since its creation.

Derek Twigg: The information is as follows:
	
		
			  Number of recruits to the Royal Regiment of Scotland between 1 April 2006 and 28 February 2007 
			   The Royal Regiment of Scotland 
			  Total  r ecruitment  
			 Officer 25 
			 Soldier 405 
			   
			  Of which :  non-UK Commonwealth  
			 Officer (1)— 
			 Soldier 10 
			 (1)( )Denotes a value that is zero  Notes: 1. Figures are shown for the 11 months to the 28 February 2007, as reliable Army flows information to this level of detail are not yet available after 28 February 2007 onwards due to ongoing validation of Army data following the introduction of the new Personnel Administration System. 2. The numbers have been rounded to the nearest five. 
		
	
	The figures in the table are Trained Regular Officers and Soldiers only and exclude full-time Reserve Service (FTRS), Gurkhas and Royal Irish (Home Service).

Shipping: Accidents

Linda Gilroy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will audit records of the number of collisions between commercial vessels and  (a) Royal Navy warships and  (b) Royal Fleet Auxiliary vessels in Portsmouth harbour in each of the last 10 years.

Bob Ainsworth: holding answer 18 October 2007
	There is no requirement to undertake an audit of the number of collisions, as all navigation incidents that occur worldwide involving HM warships are reported in accordance with the Queen's Regulations for the Royal Navy. Records show that there has been one collision incident involving a commercial vessel and a Royal Navy warship in the port of Portsmouth during the last 10 years, while there have been no recorded incidents involving commercial and Royal Fleet Auxiliary vessels.

Territorial Army: Armed Forces Training

Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the Combat Fitness Test is undertaken at the start of the Potential Junior NCOs course for Territorial Army personnel.

Bob Ainsworth: The combat fitness test (CFT) forms part of the mandatory military annual training test (MATT) for all members of the Army, including the Territorial Army. Active serving members of the Territorial Army are normally required to take this test annually in order to qualify for their training bounty, unless undertaking a staff posting.
	There is no centrally mandated requirement for members of the TA to pass the CFT at the start of Potential Junior NCO courses, the syllabuses for which are tailored by each of the Corps to meet their individual needs. In practice, however, it is usual either for the CFT to be included at some point during such a course or for participants to demonstrate the required MATT standard before the course begins.

Territorial Army: Driving

Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what regulations cover the driving hours per week of Territorial Army drivers with private carriage vehicles and heavy goods vehicle licences who also drive professionally in their civilian job in those categories; and if he will make a statement.

Bob Ainsworth: Members of the reserve forces are subject to the following regulations in relation to the number of hours that they can drive:
	Regulation (EC) No. 561/2006 of the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union dated 15 March 2006. (This is intended to simplify, clarify and update the previous rules governing drivers' hours, through the introduction of the digital tachograph as well as several other changes to existing rules and regulations).
	Defence Instruction Notice 2007 DIN 04-072 (This DIN contains an update of Policy regarding Reserve Forces and the Control of MOD Drivers Hours).

Territorial Army: Manpower

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the  (a) outflow and  (b) inflow of the Territorial Army was in (i) Jarrow constituency, (ii) South Tyneside, (iii) the North East and (iv) the UK in each year since 1997.

Bob Ainsworth: It is not possible to provide information on outflow and inflow for the Territorial Army by geographic region, as this information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	The following table shows the total intake and outflow for territorial personnel during the period 1 October 2003 to 28 February 2007. October 2003 is the earliest date for which reliable TA inflow and outflow data are available.
	
		
			  Inflow and outflow of the Territorial Army by calendar year( 1,2,3,4) 
			  Calendar year  Inflow( 5)  Outflow( 6) 
			 2003 (1 October—31 December) 3,360 2,370 
			 2004 7,690 9,410 
			 2005 8,650 8,240 
			 2006 8,560 9,920 
			 2007 (1 January—28 February)(7) 1,020 1,700 
			 (1) The data exclude Full Time Reserve Service (FTRS), Non-Regular Permanent Staff (NRPS) and Mobilised TA but includes the Officer Training Corps (OTC). (2) The data are based on flows during the period 1 October 2003 to 31 December 2003, calendar years 2004, 2005 and 2006, and the period 1 January 2007 to 28 February 2007. (3) The data have been rounded to the nearest 10, numbers ending in '5' have been rounded to the nearest multiple of 20 to avoid systematic bias. (4) Figures are for both Officers and Soldiers. (5) Inflow figures include all inflow e.g. intake from civil life and intake from other parts of the armed forces, but does not include the inflow of personnel returning from mobilisation. (6) Outflow figures exclude those personnel who became mobilised. (7) Due to ongoing data validation following the introduction of the new Joint Personnel Administration (JPA) System, there is no TA information available since 1 March 2007.

Territorial Army: Reorganisation

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what changes in the Territorial Army structure he plans to make; and if he will make a statement.

Bob Ainsworth: I refer my hon. Friend to the statement made by the then Minister for the Armed Forces on 26 March 2006,  Official Report, columns 426-28, about Territorial Army rebalancing.
	Within a continuing overall establishment of 42,000 (including some 3,500 Officer Training Corps Personnel) the TA will be rebalanced with some units re-roled, some expanded and others reduced. Work is continuing to implement the changes announced.

UK Hydrographic Office

Linda Gilroy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many stakeholders the team carrying out the review of the UK Hydrographic Office has met during the course of their work thus far.

Derek Twigg: The study team has engaged and met international stakeholders, including Foreign Government Hydrographic Offices and data suppliers, commercial and Government customers and Trade Union representatives. Survey work on behalf of the study has also sought views of fleet operators, distributors and flag states. In total study team members have formally met and consulted with approximately 25 stakeholders in addition to stakeholders within the MOD.

UK Hydrographic Office

Linda Gilroy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects to announce the outcome of the review of the UK Hydrographic Office.

Derek Twigg: I expect to make an announcement in early 2008.

Warships

Stephen Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the future number of warships required by the Royal Navy.

Bob Ainsworth: The requirement is not defined by numbers of warships alone but by the overall capability that they deliver. Our plans for the Royal Navy include the introduction of more advanced and more capable vessels such as the Daring Class destroyers, Astute Class submarines and the Future Aircraft Carriers.

TRANSPORT

Bicycles: Helmets

Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if she will bring forward proposals to make it mandatory for children under 14 to wear a helmet when cycling on a public highway.

Jim Fitzpatrick: We have no proposals to bring forward legislation on compulsory cycle helmet wearing. We believe that it is sensible for cyclists, especially children, to protect themselves by wearing a cycle helmet. A 2002 review commissioned by the DfT concluded that overall there is evidence that bicycle helmets can be effective at reducing the incidence and severity of head, brain and upper facial injuries and that they can be effective in reducing injury for users of all ages, particularly for children. However, the report also concluded that making cycle helmet wearing compulsory may in some cases discourage some people from cycling, leading to decreased bicycle use. We will shortly be commissioning further research on a range of cycle safety issues, including the use of cycle helmets.
	Our regular surveys of helmet wearing rates show that cycle helmets were worn by 28 per cent. of all cyclists on major roads in built up areas in 2004; this compares to 16 per cent. in 1994. The corresponding figures for child cyclists are 14 per cent. in 2004 compared to 18 per cent. in 1994. The wearing rate for teenage boys has decreased from 16 per cent. to 11 per cent. The 2006 helmet wearing rate survey will be published later this year.
	While compulsion remains an option that we will review from time to time, it has been our view that, at current helmet wearing rates, making helmets compulsory would cause enforcement difficulties and without greater public acceptance could have an effect on levels of cycling. Meanwhile, we will continue to encourage all cyclists to wear helmets, through our road safety publicity campaigns and advice in publications such as The Highway Code.

Bus Services: Technology

Graham Stringer: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate she has made of the costs of equipping all buses in England with smartcard readers.

Rosie Winterton: holding answer 18 October 2007
	We have, from time to time, produced rough estimates of the cost of equipping buses with smartcard readers. However, producing an accurate estimate for all buses in England is extremely difficult. It depends on a number of factors, such as the number of buses operating scheduled services in England, the number that are already equipped with readers, assumption on back office costs, including the number and ownership of these offices, the type and cost of readers available at any particular time, and the number of readers per bus. For example, if passengers are both swiping cards on boarding and on alighting then two readers may be needed. We currently have no plans to require buses in England to be equipped with smart readers.

Driving Offences: Fines

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many penalty charge notices resulted in bailiffs being called to recover fines.

Bridget Prentice: I have been asked to reply.
	No central record is kept on the number of bailiff actions taken. However, HMCS does hold statistics on the numbers of warrants issued by the Traffic Enforcement Centre (TEC). The number of warrants issued in the financial year 2006-07 was 1,124,224.

Fisheries: Compensation

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  what the process is for fishermen to make claims under the London Gateway Port reclamation area disturbance payment compensation scheme; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  if she will make a statement on progress on the compensation to be paid to fishermen under the London Gateway Port disturbance payment compensation scheme.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The London Gateway port disturbance compensation scheme is a matter of private agreement between the promoters of London Gateway port and local fishermen's organisations.
	It will be for any fishermen affected to apply to London Gateway Port Ltd. with a claim for disturbance compensation payment, with such documentation as the compensation scheme requires. The scheme provides that the payment stage is triggered after dredging and reclamation operations for the port have been approved and commenced in the relevant area of the Thames estuary.

M3

Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 27 June 2005,  Official Report, column 1266W, on the M3, what estimate she has made of the level of road traffic noise between junctions 5 and 7 of the M3 motorway calculated using her Department's traffic noise model for each year since 1995.

Tom Harris: The following tables provide estimates of the level of road traffic noise between junctions 5 and 7 of the M3 motorway calculated using the Calculation of Road Traffic Noise, Department of Transport and Welsh Office (1988) for each year since 1995:
	
		
			  Section—M3 J5 to 6 
			   Estimate of traffic noise in dB 
			 1995 79.7 
			 1996 80.1 
			 1997 80.2 
			 1998 80.4 
			 1999 80.3 
			 2000 80.1 
			 2001 80.2 
			 2002 80.4 
			 2003 80.3 
			 2004 80.3 
			 2005 80.4 
			 2006 80.5 
		
	
	
		
			  Section—M3 J6 to 7 
			   Estimate of traffic noise in dB 
			 1995 78.6 
			 1996 79.3 
			 1997 79.5 
			 1998 79.6 
			 1999 79.7 
			 2000 79.7 
			 2001 79.9 
			 2002 79.8 
			 2003 79.9 
			 2004 79.8 
			 2005 79.8 
			 2006 80.0 
		
	
	These estimates are based on average traffic flows and the percentage of heavy goods vehicles but do not include other variable factors, such as obstacles and exposure. The estimated measurement point is calculated at 25 m from the edge of the nearest carriageway and 2.5 m above the carriageway.

M3

Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the average daily traffic flow was  (a) between junctions 5 and 6 of the M3 motorway,  (b) between junctions 6 and 7 of the M3 motorway and  (c) entering and leaving junctions 5, 6 and 7 of the M3 motorway in each year since 1995; and if she will make a statement.

Tom Harris: The following tables show the average daily traffic flow  (a) between junctions 5 and 6 of the M3 motorway and  (b) between junctions 6 and 7 of the M3 motorway.
	
		
			   Junction 5 - 6 westbound (WB)  Junction 6 - 5 Eastbound (EB) 
			 1995 42,934 n/a 
			 1996 n/a n/a 
			 1997 45,758 45,535 
			 1998 47,018 47,197 
			 1999 47,581 48,120 
			 2000 47,873 47,933 
			 2001 49,022 48,312 
			 2002 49,093 49,723 
			 2003 49,663 50,632 
			 2004 49,150 50,615 
			 2005 50,196 50,720 
			 2006 52,765 51,951 
			 n/a = Not available. 
		
	
	
		
			   Junction  6 - 7  westbound (WB)  Junction  7 - 6  Eastbound (EB) 
			 1995 38,222 37,946 
			 1996 39,387 39,303 
			 1997 41,177 40,956 
			 1998 42,331 42,770 
			 1999 43,138 43,418 
			 2000 n/a 43,995 
			 2001 44,938 45,122 
			 2002 45,108 43,948 
			 2003 45,074 45,298 
			 2004 45,060 44,217 
			 2005 44,952 43,744 
			 2006 45,930 46,616 
			 n/a = Not available. 
		
	
	 (c) Information on traffic entering and leaving these junctions is only available since 2005, when automatic traffic counting sites were established. The following table shows the record of average daily traffic flows entering and leaving junctions 5, 6 and 7 of the M3 motorway since 2005.
	
		
			   EB off-slip  WB off-slip  EB on-slip  WB on-slip 
			  Junction 5 
			 2005 7,576 4,875 5,486 8,276 
			 2006 7,703 4,892 5,773 9,550 
			  
			  Junction 6 
			 2005 8,170 12,880 n/a 8,223 
			 2006 8,238 13,110 n/a 8,380 
			  
			  Junction 7 
			 2005 4,034 3,023 3,786 4,498 
			 2006 4,069 2,974 4,306 5,255

Motor Vehicles: Travel

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate she has made of the number of motorists who used their vehicles to drive  (a) fewer than five miles,  (b) between five and 25 miles and  (c) more than 25 miles in each of the last five years.

Rosie Winterton: The following table shows the percentage of car driver trips in Great Britain which are  (a) less than five miles,  (b) five to less than 25 miles and  (c) 25 miles and over for 2002-06, based on data from the National Travel Survey.
	
		
			  Car driver trips per person per year by trip length, Great Britain, 2002 to 2006 
			  Percentage 
			   Under five miles  Five to under 25 miles  25 miles and over  All lengths 
			 2002 57 36 6 100 
			 2003 56 37 6 100 
			 2004 56 37 7 100 
			 2005 56 37 7 100 
			 2006 56 37 7 100 
		
	
	It is not possible to estimate the number of motorists making trips of different lengths using the data available.

Navigation: River Thames

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if she will make a statement on the availability of pilots for the river Thames and the Thames estuary.

Jim Fitzpatrick: Pilotage services on the Thames are a matter for the Port of London authority as the relevant Competent Harbour authority.

Railways

Graham Stringer: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many new rail vehicles for  (a) inter-city services,  (b) commuter services in London and  (c) local regional rail services were procured in each of the last 10 years.

Tom Harris: holding answer 18 October 2007
	The number of vehicles procured for  (a) is around 1,200 vehicles,  (b) around 3,400 vehicles, and  (c) around 600 vehicles.

Railways: Standards

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans she has to meet Virgin Trains to discuss improvements to speed and reliability of trains between Euston and Wolverhampton.

Tom Harris: Department for Transport officials met with representatives of Virgin Train and Network Rail on 31 August to review progress on the west coast route modernisation programme that will result in reductions in the journey time to and from Wolverhampton from December 2008.

Road Traffic: Air Pollution

Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what levels of road traffic pollution were  (a) estimated and  (b) recorded in the vicinity of junctions 5 to 7 of the M3 motorway in each year since 1995; and if she will make a statement.

Tom Harris: The levels of road traffic pollution that were estimated by the Highways Agency on this section of the M3 motorway are shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Section  N O 2  PM 10 
			 M3 J5 to 6 31.9 28.7 
			 M3 J6 to 7 32.1 28.8 
		
	
	The table shows the estimated level of main pollutants in 2005 at 20 m from the centre of the carriageway. The two pollutants estimated, which are traffic specific, are Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) and particulate matter smaller than ten micrograms (PM10) and the amounts are in micrograms/m(3).
	The Highways Agency has no estimates for other years since 1995.
	The Highways Agency does not record the levels of road, traffic pollution in the vicinity of junctions 5-7 of the M3 motorway.

Shipping: Registration

Julian Brazier: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if she will make a statement on the decision to allow the Morning Miracle to transfer to the UK Shipping Register; and what assessment was made of her fire-fighting capabilities.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The car carrier Morning Miracle met all the safety and other quality criteria for acceptance on to the UK Ship Register. The fire-fighting arrangements were accepted following a detailed risk assessment by Det Norske Veritas, one of our recognised classification societies. The arrangements fully meet international requirements and the MCA is satisfied that the ship is operating safely.

TREASURY

Aggregates Levy

David Drew: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much has been collected by the aggregates levy in  (a) Stroud constituency,  (b) Gloucestershire,  (c) England and  (d) the United Kingdom in each year since its inception.

Angela Eagle: Aggregates levy revenue receipts and forecast revenues were published in Table B8 of the 2007 pre-Budget report and Comprehensive Spending Review. These are provided for the UK as a whole and are not available by geographical region. HM Revenue and Customs routinely publishes data on levy receipts in the Aggregates Levy Bulletin which is available at:
	http://www.uktradeinfo.com.

Bank Services

Dawn Butler: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has for unclaimed assets in dormant bank and building society accounts.

Kitty Ussher: The Government's proposals for unclaimed assets in dormant bank and building society accounts were set out in consultation documents released in March and May of this year. In July, the Prime Minister made a statement setting out the Government's draft legislative programme for the next session. This included plans for an unclaimed assets Bill. The Government will set out their responses to consultation shortly.

Death: Clostridium

Mark Harper: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many deaths were recorded where clostridium difficile was  (a) mentioned and  (b) the underlying cause of death in (i) Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Trust and (ii) England in each of the last five years.

Angela Eagle: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 19 October 2007:
	As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking how many deaths have been recorded where  Clostridium difficile was (a) mentioned and (b) the underlying cause of death in (i) Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Trust and (ii) England in each of the past five years. (159667)
	Special analyses of deaths in England and Wales involving  Clostridium difficile are undertaken annually by ONS, and results are published in Health Statistics Quarterly. The latest year for which figures are currently available is 2005. The number of deaths for England where  Clostridium difficile was (a) mentioned and (b) the underlying cause of death from 2001 to 2005 are published in Table 3 of Health Statistics Quarterly 33(1) (p73). This is available in the House of Commons Library.
	ONS does not routinely link information on hospitals to their respective trusts. Therefore figures for the Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Trust are not readily available.
	(1) Office for National Statistics: Report: Deaths involving  Clostridium difficile: England and Wales, 2001-2005.  Health Statistics Quarterly 33, 71-75.

Debts

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what the level of personal debt was as a percentage of disposable income  (a) before and  (b) after housing costs in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what the level of personal debt was as a percentage of gross disposable income in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  what the level of  (a) secured and  (b) unsecured personal debt was as a percentage of gross disposable income in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement.

Angela Eagle: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 22 October 2007:
	As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your questions asking what the level of personal debt was as a percentage of disposable income (a) before housing costs and (b) after housing costs in each year since 1997; what the level of personal debt was as a percentage of gross disposable income in each year since 1997; what the level of (a) secured and (b) unsecured personal debt was as a percentage of gross disposable income in each year since 1997. (158980, 158981, 158982)
	The information requested is shown in the attached tables.
	
		
			  Table 1: total financial liabilities as a percentage of gross disposable income before and after the deduction of loans secured on dwellings for the households and non-profits institutions serving households sector 
			   £ million  Percentage 
			   Total financial liabilities less loans secured on dwellings  Total financial liabilities  Household gross disposable income  Total financial liabilities less loans secured on dwellings as a percentage of households' gross disposable income  Total financial liabilities as a percentage of households' gross disposable income 
			 1997 156980 586659 559941 28 105 
			 1998 169233 625134 582790 29 107 
			 1999 182745 675599 608988 30 111 
			 2000 199724 734790 643415 31 114 
			 2001 220427 810665 686312 32 118 
			 2002 253754 923144 709048 36 130 
			 2003 273982 1046913 740389 37 141 
			 2004 296180 1172032 765683 39 153 
			 2005 311067 1249393 807989 38 155 
			 2006 323849 1370221 836911 39 164 
			  Source: Tables A38 and A64 of United Kingdom Economic Accounts http:/www.statistics.gov.uk/statbase/Product.asp?vlnk=1904 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: long term loans and short term loans as a percentage of gross disposable income for the households and non-profits institutions serving households sector 
			   £ million  Percentage 
			   Long term loans  Short term loans  Household gross disposable income  Long term loans as a percentage of households' gross disposable income  Short term loans as a percentage of households' gross disposable income 
			 1997 443522 88412 559941 79 16 
			 1998 470384 97404 582790 81 17 
			 1999 508445 109208 608988 83 18 
			 2000 551110 124323 643415 86 19 
			 2001 608358 140891 686312 89 21 
			 2002 690290 157748 709048 97 22 
			 2003 794704 163506 740389 107 22 
			 2004 899959 183390 765683 118 24 
			 2005 964207 194129 807989 119 24 
			 2006 1073320 205012 836911 128 24 
			  Source: Tables A38 and A64 of United Kingdom Economic Accounts http:/www.statistics.gov.uk/statbase/Product.asp?vlnk=1904

Departments: Accountancy

Philip Hammond: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proportion of his Department's employees possess a professional accountancy qualification; and what proportion of employees at each of the six most senior grades possess a professional accountancy qualification.

Angela Eagle: As the information is not stored centrally, the question could be answered only at disproportionate cost.

Departments: Correspondence

Bob Spink: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what guidance his Department follows on the maximum time taken to respond to hon. Members' correspondence; and what performance against that target was in the most recent period for which figures are available.

Angela Eagle: The Cabinet Office publishes guidance for Departments on handling correspondence from Members of Parliament, Members of the House of Lords. MEPs, and Members of devolved assemblies. The guidance is available on the Cabinet Office website at:
	http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/upload/assets/www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/propriety_and_ethics/correspondence.pdf
	The Cabinet Office also publishes on an annual basis, a report on Departments' and agencies performance on handling Members' and Peers' correspondence. The last report for 2006 was published via a written ministerial statement on 28 March 2007 and can be viewed at:
	http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200607/cmhansrd/cm070328/wmstext/70328m0004.htm

Departments: Official Hospitality

David Simpson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much was spent by his Department on official hospitality in the last 12 months.

Angela Eagle: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer given to him by the then Financial Secretary (John Healey) on 15 May 2007,  Official Report, column 689W.

Departments: Official Visits

David Simpson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer on how many occasions he has visited each region in an official capacity in the last 12 months.

Angela Eagle: The Chancellor has made a number of visits to the regions and nations of the United Kingdom and will be continuing to do so over the coming months.

Employment: Clackmannanshire

Gordon Banks: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the level of youth employment in Ochil and South Perthshire since 2005;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the level of youth unemployment in Clackmannanshire in each year since 1997.

Angela Eagle: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Mike Hughes, dated 22 October 2007:
	The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Questions about youth employment and unemployment. I am replying in her absence. (159309, 159310)
	The Office for National Statistics (ONS) compiles employment statistics for local areas from the annual local area Labour Force Survey (LFS) and the Annual Population Survey (APS) following International Labour Organisation (ILO) definitions.
	Table 1 provides the number of people employed, aged 16 to 24 and the corresponding employment rates for, the Ochil and South Perthshire constituency for the 12 month periods ending in March for 2006 and 2007, from the APS.
	Table 2 provides the number of people unemployed, aged 16 to 24, and the corresponding unemployment rates for Clackmannanshire. Estimates are provided from the local area LFS for the 12 months ending in February, for 1998 to 2004, and from the APS for the 12 months ending in March, for 2005 to 2007.
	As these estimates are for a subset of the population in a small geographical area, they are based on very small sample sizes, and are therefore subject to large margins of uncertainty.
	ONS also compiles statistics for local areas of people claiming Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA). Table 3 shows the annual average number of JSA claimants claiming for over 12 months, resident in Clackmannanshire for 2005 and 2006. The table also shows these claimants as a proportion of the resident population aged 16-24.
	
		
			  Table 1: Employed persons, aged 16 to 24, resident in the Ochil and South Perthshire parliamentary constituency 
			  Thousand 
			  12 months ending  Level  Rate( 1)  (percentage) 
			 March 2006 4 61 
			 March 2007 5 61 
			 (1) Employed as a percentage of the population in relevant age group.  Note:  Estimates are subject to sampling variability.   Source:  Annual local area Labour Force Survey; Annual Population survey. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Unemployed persons, aged 16 to 24, resident in the Clackmannanshire local authority 
			  Thousand 
			  12 months ending  Level  Rate( 1)  (percentage) 
			 February 1998 (2)— (2)— 
			 February 1999 (2)— (2)— 
			 February 2000 (2)— (2)— 
			 February 2001 (2)— (2)— 
			 February 2002 (2)— (2)— 
			 February 2003 (2)— (2)— 
			 February 2004 (3)— 15 
			 March 2005 (3)— 9 
			 March 2006 (3)— 16 
			 March 2007 1 18 
			 (1) Unemployed as a percentage of the economically active population in age group. (2) Sample size too small to provide estimates. (3) Less than 500.  Note: Estimates are subject to sampling variability.  Source: Annual local area Labour Force Survey; Annual Population survey. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 3: Annual average number of claimants of jobseeker's allowance aged 18 to 24, resident in the Clackmannanshire local authority 
			   Number  Proportion (percentage)( 1) 
			 1997 465 8 
			 1998 440 8 
			 1999 390 7 
			 2000 355 7 
			 2001 300 5 
			 2002 320 6 
			 2003 300 6 
			 2004 310 6 
			 2005 335 6 
			 2006 325 6 
			 (1) Number of claimants expressed as a percentage of the resident population of age group.   Notes:  1. Claimant count data by age includes computerised claims only.  2. Dataset rounded to the nearest 5.   Source:  Jobcentre Plus administrative data.

Floods: Reconstruction

Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the value to the Exchequer of VAT receipts arising from repair and reconstruction work made necessary by the 2007 summer floods; and if he will make a statement.

Kitty Ussher: No such estimate has been made.

Income Tax

Graham Allen: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much was raised in income tax in the last year for which figures are available.

Jane Kennedy: Monthly, quarterly and annual income tax receipts are published on the HMRC website. Table 1.2 contains annual data and table 1.3 contains quarterly and monthly data.
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/tax_receipts/tablel-2.pdf
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/tax_receipts/tablel-3.pdf

Individual Savings Accounts

Philip Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will allow transfers from equity into cash individual savings accounts.

Kitty Ussher: The Government's objective in allowing transfers of money held in cash ISAs to stocks and shares ISAs from April 2008 is to further promote share ownership by encouraging savers to diversify their assets and benefit from the potentially higher returns offered by stocks and shares over the medium to long term. Allowing transfers from stocks and shares to cash would not meet this objective.

Life Expectancy

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the life expectancy was for people in  (a) the five most deprived areas in England and  (b) England in each year since 1979.

Angela Eagle: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 22 October 2007:
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking what the life expectancy was for people in (a) the five most deprived areas in England and (b) England in each year since 1979. (159808).
	Life expectancy figures are calculated as three year rolling averages. The tables below provide the period life expectancy at birth for (a) men and (b) women in the five most deprived local authorities in England, and England, for 1991-93 (the earliest period available) to 2003-05 (the latest period available).
	
		
			  Table 1: Period life expectancy at birth( 1) , the five most deprived local authorities in England( 2) , and England, 1991-93 and 2003-05( 3) , males 
			  Years of life 
			   Hackney (1)  Tower Hamlets (2)  Manchester (3)  Islington (4)  Liverpool (5)  England 
			 1991-93 71 71 70 71 71 74 
			 1992-94 72 71 70 71 71 74 
			 1993-95 71 71 70 71 71 74 
			 1994-96 72 71 70 72 71 74 
			 1995-97 72 71 70 72 71 75 
			 1996-98 73 72 70 73 72 75 
			 1997-99 73 73 70 73 72 75 
			 1998-2000 73 73 71 73 72 75 
			 1999-01 74 73 71 73 72 76 
			 2000-02 74 73 71 74 73 76 
			 2001-03 74 73 72 73 73 76 
			 2002-04 75 74 72 74 73 77 
			 2003-05 75 75 73 75 73 77 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2 : Period life expectancy at birth( 1) , the five most deprived local authorities in England( 2) , and England, 1991-93 and 2003-05( 3) ,  fe males 
			  Years of life 
			   Hackney (1)  Tower Hamlets (2)  Manchester (3)  Islington (4)  Liverpool (5)  England 
			 1991-93 77 78 76 78 77 79 
			 1992-94 78 78 77 78 77 79 
			 1993-95 78 78 77 78 77 79 
			 1994-96 79 77 76 78 77 80 
			 1995-97 79 78 77 79 77 80 
			 1996-98 80 79 77 80 77 80 
			 1997-99 79 79 77 79 77 80 
			 1998-2000 80 79 77 79 77 80 
			 1999-01 80 79 77 79 77 80 
			 2000-02 80 79 77 79 78 81 
			 2001-03 80 79 78 80 78 81 
			 2002-04 81 79 78 79 78 81 
			 2003-05 81 80 78 80 78 81 
			 (1) Period life expectancy at birth is an estimate of the average number of years a newborn baby would survive if he or she experienced the area's age-specific mortality rates for that time period throughout his or her life. The figure reflects mortality among those living in the area in each time period, rather than mortality among those born in each area. It is not therefore the number of years a baby born in the area in each time period could actually expect to live, both because the death rates of the area are likely to change in the future and because many of those born in the area will live elsewhere for at least some part of their lives. (2) Defined using the English Indices of Deprivation 2004 (ID2004) local authority district average ranks, where 1 is the most deprived. The ID2004 are based on one time period (2001-02), therefore rankings are the same for all years. (3) Three-year rolling averages, based on deaths registered in each year and mid-year population estimates.

National Debt

Peter Bone: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the UK's structural deficit in comparison with those of other EU member states.

Kitty Ussher: Cyclically-adjusted net borrowing in the UK has averaged 1.0 per cent. of GDP over the current economic cycle. Over the same period, the structural balance has averaged 1.9 per cent. in the euro area, 2.1 per cent. in France, 2.3 per cent. in Germany and 2.8 per cent. in Italy.

National Income

Oliver Letwin: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer for what reason he has ceased to produce an estimated GDP deflator at market prices for financial years 2007-08 to 2010-11; if he will place a copy of his latest estimate in the Library; and if he will make a statement.

Angela Eagle: The latest projections for the GDP deflator by financial year were published, as usual, in the 2007 Pre-Budget Report and Comprehensive Spending Review (Cm 7227) Table B3: Economic assumptions for the public finance projections. This includes an estimate for 2007-08 and projections for 2008-09 through 2012-13.

Population: Southend

David Amess: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the population is in  (a) Southend on Sea and  (b) Southend West constituency; and what estimate he has made of the likely equivalent figures in (i) 2011 and (ii) 2015.

Angela Eagle: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from M ike Hughes, dated 22 October 2007:
	The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your question regarding what the current population is in (a) Southend-on-Sea and (b) Southend West constituency; and what estimate has been made of the equivalent figures for (i) 2011 and (ii) 2015.1 am replying in her absence. (159649)
	The latest available population estimate for mid-2006 for Southend-on-Sea is 160,000. The projection for i) 2011 is 161,000 and for ii) 2015 is 162,000.
	ONS does not make population projections for Parliamentary Constituency areas. Annual population estimates are not currently available for Southend West constituency, though we are intending to publish an experimental estimates series for Parliamentary Constituency areas. Estimates for 2002-2005 are planned for release in December 2007.

Revenue and Customs: Official Hospitality

Philip Hammond: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much was spent from the public purse on staff parties at HM Revenue and Customs in each of the last three years.

Jane Kennedy: There has been no expenditure from the public purse on staff parties during the last three years.
	Guidance on the regularity and propriety of expenditure is given in the HM Treasury publication 'Managing Public Money' (available on the HM Treasury website). This guidance has been interpreted to form departmental policy. The policy adopted is that it is inappropriate to use official funds to pay for staff parties; the cost of any parties are met by staff themselves.

Taxation: Business

Mark Prisk: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many cases being investigated by HM Revenue and Customs under the settlements legislation were stopped as a result of the House of Lords judgment in the Jones  v. Garnett case.

Angela Eagle: The information requested is not available.

Taxation: Business

Mark Prisk: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate his Department has made of the cost to the public purse of the Jones  v. Garnett case, including all legal fees and associated charges.

Angela Eagle: Known legal and associated costs of the Jones  v. Garnett case, including HMRC counsels' costs and court fees, are £120,207. However, the Treasury has not made any estimate of the costs of the Jones  v. Garnett case. The total costs incurred by HM Revenue and Customs cannot be calculated as some of the taxpayers' costs for the Court of Appeal and the House of Lords are either unknown or still to be settled. In addition, no records have been kept to enable costs such as those related to remuneration and associated overheads for the time spent by HMRC employees who have worked on aspects of the case to be calculated.

Taxation: Business

Mark Prisk: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the cost of HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) investigations under the settlements legislation was in each of the last three years, including legal charges and HMRC and departmental staff costs.

Angela Eagle: The information requested is not available.

Taxation: Business

Mark Prisk: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer which Minister was responsible for approving the original decision for HM Revenue and Customs to pursue the Jones  v. Garnett case under the settlements legislation.

Angela Eagle: Responsibility for the administration of the tax affairs of individual taxpayers lies with the board of HM Revenue and Customs and not with Ministers.

Taxation: Domicile

Mark Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer which team in his Department is responsible for developing policy on the taxation of non-domiciled individuals.

Jane Kennedy: A number of different teams in both HM Treasury and HM Revenue and Customs have worked on the review of the residence and domicile rules that govern personal taxation, alongside other duties.

Taxation: Environment Protection

Dai Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what matters in respect of the use of fiscal instruments to combat climate change were discussed at the meeting of G7 finance ministers in Washington DC on 20 October 2007; and what decisions were taken on the matter.

Angela Eagle: The G7 communiqué describes the outcome of this weekend's meeting on these subjects:
	"We discussed the importance of unified action to address energy security and global climate change while supporting growth and economic development. We are committed to working with major economies and through the UN climate process to that end. We agree that market based policy measures should be effectively designed to meet specific conditions in each country. We noted the need for scaling up investments in cleaner and lower carbon technologies through existing mechanisms such as the Clean Energy and Investment Framework and agreed to explore the creation of a clean technology fund to support the deployment of clean energy technologies to developing countries."
	The Government are committed to continuing to work with international partners, such as the G7, to combat climate change, including through the development of market-based policy measures.

Unemployment: Greater London

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the level of long-term adult unemployment was in each London constituency in each year since 2005.

Angela Eagle: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 22 October 2007:
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question about long-term adult unemployment in each year since 2005. (158987)
	The Office for National Statistics (ONS) compiles statistics of unemployment for local areas from the Annual Population Survey (APS) following International Labour Organisation definitions.
	Table 1 provides estimates of the levels of long-term adult unemployment in each London constituency for the 12 month periods ending in March for 2006 and 2007, from the APS.
	ONS also compiles statistics for local areas of people claiming Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA). Table 2 shows the annual average number of JSA claimants claiming for over 12 months, resident in each London constituency for 2005 and 2006.
	
		
			  Table 1: Long-term adult unemployment: London parliamentary constituencies 
			  Long-term unemployed (thousand) 
			   12 months ending 
			  London parliamentary constituency  March 2006  March 2007 
			 Barking 1 (1)— 
			 Battersea (1)— (1)— 
			 Beckenham (1)— (1)— 
			 Bethnal Green and Bow 2 2 
			 Bexleyheath and Crayford (1)— (1)— 
			 Brent East (1)— (1)— 
			 Brent North (1)— (1)— 
			 Brent South 2 2 
			 Brentford and Isleworth (1)— 1 
			 Bromley and Chislehurst (1)— (1)— 
			 Camberwell and Peckham 1 1 
			 Carshalton and Wallington (1)— (1)— 
			 Chingford and Woodford Green 1 1 
			 Chipping Barnet (1)— (1)— 
			 Cities of London and Westminster 1 1 
			 Croydon Central (1)— (1)— 
			 Croydon North 2 2 
			 Croydon South (1)— (1)— 
			 Dagenham 1 1 
			 Dulwich and West Norwood (1)— 1 
			 Ealing North 1 1 
			 Ealing Southall 1 (1)— 
			 Ealing, Acton and Shepherd's Bush 3 1 
			 East Ham 1 1 
			 Edmonton (1)— (1)— 
			 Eltham 1 1 
			 Enfield North (1)— (1)— 
			 Enfield, Southgate (1)— (1)— 
			 Erith and Thamesmead 1 1 
			 Feltham and Heston 1 (1)— 
			 Finchley and Golders Green 2 1 
			 Greenwich and Woolwich (1)— (1)— 
			 Hackney North and Stoke Newington 1 1 
			 Hackney South and Shoreditch 2 1 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 1 (1)— 
			 Hampstead and Highgate 1 (1)— 
			 Harrow East (1)— (1)— 
			 Harrow West (1)— 1 
			 Hayes and Harlington 1 (1)— 
			 Hendon 2 (1)— 
			 Holborn and St. Pancras 1 1 
			 Hornchurch (1)— (1)— 
			 Hornsey and Wood Green (1)— (1)— 
			 Ilford North (1)— (1)— 
			 Ilford South (1)— (1)— 
			 Islington North 1 (1)— 
			 Islington South and Finsbury 1 1 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 2 (1)— 
			 Kingston and Surbiton (1)— (1)— 
			 Lewisham East (1)— (1)— 
			 Lewisham West (1)— 1 
			 Lewisham, Deptford (1)— (1)— 
			 Leyton and Wanstead 1 (1)— 
			 Mitcham and Morden 2 1 
			 North Southwark and Bermondsey (1)— (1)— 
			 Old Bexley and Sidcup (1)— (1)— 
			 Orpington (1)— (1)— 
			 Poplar and Canning Town 1 2 
			 Putney (1)— (1)— 
			 Regent's Park and Kensington North 2 1 
			 Richmond Park (1)— (1)— 
			 Romford (1)— (1)— 
			 Ruislip—Northwood (1)— (1)— 
			 Streatham 1 (1)— 
			 Sutton and Cheam (1)— (1)— 
			 Tooting (1)— 2 
			 Tottenham 1 2 
			 Twickenham 1 1 
			 Upminster (1)— (1)— 
			 Uxbridge (1)— (1)— 
			 Vauxhall 2 2 
			 Walthamstow 1 1 
			 West Ham 1 2 
			 Wimbledon 1 1 
			 (1) Sample size too small to provide estimates.  Notes: 1. Estimates are subject to sampling variability. 2. Changes in the estimates over time should be treated with caution.  Source: Annual Population Survey 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Long-term JSA claimants: London parliamentary constituencies 
			  Long-term (claiming over 12 months)( 1) 
			   Annual average 
			  London parliamentary constituency  2005  2006 
			 Barking 215 280 
			 Battersea 335 380 
			 Beckenham 295 325 
			 Bethnal Green and Bow 1,000 1,145 
			 Bexleyheath and Crayford 120 140 
			 Brent East 735 725 
			 Brent North 200 190 
			 Brent South 700 665 
			 Brentford and Isleworth 155 155 
			 Bromley and Chislehurst 180 205 
			 Camberwell and Peckham 945 805 
			 Carshalton and Wallington 190 220 
			 Chingford and Woodford Green 225 250 
			 Chipping Barnet 190 210 
			 Cities of London and Westminster 375 370 
			 Croydon Central 185 270 
			 Croydon North 465 580 
			 Croydon South 75 100 
			 Dagenham 300 340 
			 Dulwich and West Norwood 610 580 
			 Ealing North 250 310 
			 Ealing Southall 300 320 
			 Ealing, Acton and Shepherd's Bush 465 430 
			 East Ham 355 545 
			 Edmonton 395 505 
			 Eltham 185 265 
			 Enfield North 275 270 
			 Enfield, Southgate 255 270 
			 Erith and Thamesmead 395 490 
			 Feltham and Heston 105 130 
			 Finchley and Golders Green 300 330 
			 Greenwich and Woolwich 465 525 
			 Hackney North and Stoke Newington 620 680 
			 Hackney South and Shoreditch 650 780 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 445 435 
			 Hampstead and Highgate 495 560 
			 Harrow East 225 225 
			 Harrow West 170 160 
			 Hayes and Harlington 195 190 
			 Hendon 305 320 
			 Holborn and St. Pancras 740 785 
			 Hornchurch 100 115 
			 Hornsey and Wood Green 560 585 
			 Ilford North 165 205 
			 Ilford South 255 410 
			 Islington North 700 720 
			 Islington South and Finsbury 520 530 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 290 310 
			 Kingston and Surbiton 165 120 
			 Lewisham East 350 380 
			 Lewisham West 420 445 
			 Lewisham, Deptford 480 560 
			 Leyton and Wanstead 395 470 
			 Mitcham and Morden 270 370 
			 North Southwark and Bermondsey 1,030 830 
			 Old Bexley and Sidcup 85 105 
			 Orpington 150 160 
			 Poplar and Canning Town 970 1,110 
			 Putney 250 250 
			 Regent's Park and Kensington North 615 650 
			 Richmond Park 185 145 
			 Romford 85 105 
			 Ruislip—Northwood 145 105 
			 Streatham 700 660 
			 Sutton and Cheam 140 130 
			 Tooting 320 345 
			 Tottenham 1,180 1,340 
			 Twickenham 140 130 
			 Upminster 105 125 
			 Uxbridge 125 145 
			 Vauxhall 885 790 
			 Walthamstow 645 730 
			 West Ham 500 620 
			 Wimbledon 130 115 
			 (1) Computerised claims only.  Source: Jobcentre Plus Administrative system

Unemployment: Reading

Robert Wilson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proportion of the 18 to 24-year-old population of Reading East constituency was not in education, training or employment in each quarter since the second quarter of 2001; and if he will make a statement.

Angela Eagle: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Mike Hughes, dated 22 October 2007 :
	The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question about young people not in education, training or employment. I am replying in her absence. (159528)
	The Office for National Statistics (ONS) compiles statistics for local areas from the annual local area Labour Force Survey (LFS) and the Annual Population Survey (APS) following International Labour Organisation (ILO) definitions. Quarterly data are not available for parliamentary constituencies.
	The table attached, shows the numbers of 18 to 24 year olds not in full-time education, employment or training, resident in Reading East constituency for the 12 month periods ending in February for 2002 to 2004 from the local area LFS and for the 12 month periods ending in March for 2005 to 2007, from the APS. The table also shows these numbers as the percentage of all 18 to 24 year olds in the area for each year.
	Estimates for a subset of the population in a small geographical area, are based on very small sample sizes, and are therefore subject to large margins of uncertainty.
	
		
			  Persons aged 18 to 24 who are not in full-time education, employment or training resident in the Reading East constituency 
			  12 months ending  Number (Thousand )  Percentage of all 18-24 year olds 
			 February 2002 1 12 
			 February 2003 1 13 
			 February 2004 1 12 
			 March 2005 2 13 
			 March 2006 1 10 
			 March 2007 1 14 
			  Note: Estimates are subject to sampling variability.  Source: Annual local area Labour Force Survey; Annual Population survey.

Welfare Tax Credits

Anne Main: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent progress has made in the resolution of the tax credits case of Mr. Morgan of St. Albans constituency; and if he will make a statement.

Kitty Ussher: A detailed response was sent to Mr. Morgan on the 25 September.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Arts Council of England: Finance

Jeff Ennis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what  (a) grant-in-aid and  (b) National Lottery funding was allocated to the Arts Council England (ACE) in each of the last five years; and how much ACE awarded to brass bands in the same period.  [Official Report, 6 December 2007, Vol. 468, c. 8MC.]

Margaret Hodge: This information is shown in the table:
	
		
			  £000 
			   Grant in  a id (revenue)  National Lottery  Awards made by ACE to brass bands( 1) 
			 2002-03 289,000 178,000 217 
			 2003-04 325,000 161,000 209 
			 2004-05 368,000 169,000 200 
			 2005-06 412,000 171,000 219 
			 2006-07 412,000 157,000 367 
			 (1 )Figures include both Grant in Aid and National Lottery funding.

Arts: Finance

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many arts organisations in each London  (a) constituency and  (b) borough received Arts Council England funding in each of the last five years.

Margaret Hodge: This information is shown in the following table:
	
		
			  Borough  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08( 1)  Total 
			 Barking and Dagenham 2 2 2 1 2 9 
			 Barnet 7 6 7 11 5 36 
			 Bexley 0 0 0 1 0 1 
			 Brent 10 11 12 10 8 51 
			 Bromley 3 5 0 2 1 11 
			 Camden 61 73 58 63 39 294 
			 City of London 6 10 7 5 4 32 
			 Croydon 10 8 10 4 4 36 
			 Ealing 6 7 8 6 3 30 
			 Enfield 6 5 4 6 3 24 
			 Greenwich 16 19 19 11 10 75 
			 Hackney 57 72 70 57 40 296 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 19 22 14 16 10 81 
			 Haringey 9 18 24 19 10 80 
			 Harrow 5 6 9 6 2 28 
			 Havering 2 2 3 4 2 13 
			 Hillingdon 3 4 5 2 2 16 
			 Hounslow 7 6 9 6 5 33 
			 Islington 63 69 76 63 44 315 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 23 27 26 30 12 118 
			 Kingston upon Thames 3 6 5 4 2 20 
			 Lambeth 54 64 64 58 39 279 
			 Lewisham 20 17 18 21 13 89 
			 Merton 6 3 4 4 1 18 
			 Newham 9 8 8 8 7 40 
			 Redbridge 2 2 2 2 1 9 
			 Richmond upon Thames 11 6 9 7 3 36 
			 Southwark 58 61 72 56 42 289 
			 Sutton 0 1 2 0 0 3 
			 Tower Hamlets 61 65 76 62 47 311 
			 Waltham Forest 12 5 6 7 5 35 
			 Wandsworth 30 28 30 23 17 128 
			 Westminster 63 68 83 78 49 341 
			 Total 644 706 742 653 432 3,177 
			 (1) 2007-08 figures are lower as they only include organisations that have received grants for the arts funding for the first half of the year.

Culture: England

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will take steps to promote English folk dance and song; and if he will make a statement.

Margaret Hodge: Government support for English folk dance and song is primarily channelled through Arts Council England, which funds a number of organisations who promote and develop these art forms.
	Levels of financial support for music and dance through Arts Council England are at their highest ever, with the music sector receiving over £100 million and the dance sector over £34 million during 2006-07. This funding includes support for folk dance and song.
	Overall arts funding has increased in real terms by 73 per cent. since 1998 and in 2007-08, Arts Council England will receive £412 million.
	The Arts Council will receive an above-inflation increase over the next three-year spending review period. This means an extra £12 million in 2008-09, £26.5 million in 2009-10 and £50 million in 2010-11. This is a real year-on-year increase of 1.1 per cent. and will enable the arts to continue to thrive and grow.

Departments: Secondment

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many staff are seconded to his Department from outside Government; from which outside body each has been seconded; and what the length is of each secondment.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport has eight staff on secondment from outside Government currently. Details of the outside bodies and the lengths of the secondments involved are listed as follows.
	English Heritage (2 staff)—one for 2 years, the other for 3 years
	British Library—3 years
	The Royal Parks—2 years
	Museums, Libraries and Archives Council—3 years
	Manchester International Festival—7 months
	The French Government—2 years
	The Japanese Government—3 months

English Heritage: Greater London

Daniel Rogerson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many English Heritage staff were located at Bunhill Row, London in each year since 2004.

Margaret Hodge: These figures are set out in the following table:
	
		
			   Number 
			 2004 0 
			 2005 0 
			 June 2006 390 
			 March 2007 186

English Heritage: Greater London

Daniel Rogerson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many English Heritage staff were located at 1 Waterhouse Square, London in each year since 2004.

Margaret Hodge: These figures are as follows:
	
		
			   Number 
			 2004 0 
			 2005 0 
			 2006 76 
			 2007 254

English Heritage: Offices

Daniel Rogerson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much was received by English Heritage from Legal and General in respect of the break made in their lease on offices at 23 Savile Row, London.

Margaret Hodge: The lease under which English Heritage occupied Savile Row was due to end in 2010. English Heritage agreed to vacate early at Legal and General's request on terms which are the subject of a commercially confidential agreement.

Floods: Sportsgrounds

Hugh Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what estimate has been made of the cost of repairing flood damaged  (a) cricket pitches and  (b) other sports facilities; and what funding is available to help affected clubs.

Gerry Sutcliffe: holding answer 15 October 2007
	National Sports Foundation funding may support repairs to flood damaged sports facilities. It is managed by Sport England and will take into account all proceeds from insurance cover. To date, two applications of this nature have been received. In addition, Sport England's Yorkshire and West Midlands regions are providing advice and guidance to support sports provision provided by clubs and others affected by the floods. A full picture of the estimated costs of repairing flood damaged sports facilities, including cricket pitches, has not been collected centrally.

Information Officers: English Heritage

Richard Spring: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many press officers are employed by English Heritage.

Margaret Hodge: English Heritage employees seven full-time press officers and three part-time press officers. The full-time equivalent is 8.8 posts. They provide a range of services to the organisation including stakeholder relations work, campaigning, event management and they also give strategic advice. They support English Heritage's headquarters and its nine regional offices.

Internet: Copyright

Edward Vaizey: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what progress is being made on the implementation of recommendation 39 of the Gowers Review, on internet service providers' responsibility for copyright theft; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Timms: I have been asked to reply.
	Industry associations representing the interests of internet service providers and copyright holders have been discussing development of a voluntary protocol to address misuse of content and copyright theft. We are monitoring progress closely and would need to see agreement before the end of the year on a protocol to be trialled in order to forestall the need for any regulatory intervention.

Internet: Copyright

Edward Vaizey: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether he plans to ensure that internet service providers share responsibility with rights holders for combating online copyright theft.

Stephen Timms: I have been asked to reply.
	The Government agreed to take forward implementation of recommendation 39 of the Gowers Review on internet service providers' responsibility for copyright theft. We are monitoring closely the progress of discussions between the internet service providers and rights holders towards negotiating a voluntary protocol by the end of the year. We will also consider what regulatory measures we may need to take should such a voluntary agreement not prove satisfactory.

Olympic Games: Tourism

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many times and on what dates the Tourism 2012 Group has met to discuss its Tourism 2012 Strategy.

James Purnell: The Ministerial Advisory Group (formally known as the Tourism 2012 Group) has met seven times, on the 18 January and 15 June 2006, and on the 23 January, 19 February, 27 March, 9 May and 21 June 2007. The new Tourism Minister also met group members on 17, 18, 19 and 25 July.

Royal Parks Agency: Standards

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what targets were set by his Department for income generation by the Royal Parks Agency for each year since 2001; and what targets have been set for  (a) 2007-08 and  (b) 2008-09.

Margaret Hodge: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport has set the Royal Parks the following targets for income generation since 2001:
	
		
			   Target 
			 2000-01 To increase income by 10 per cent. from the 1999-2000 level, from all sources except recharges and VAT refunds. 
			 2001-02 To increase income by 10 per cent. from the 2000-01 level, from all sources except recharges and VAT refunds. 
			 2002-03 To increase income by 10 per cent. from the 2001-02 level, from all sources except recharges and VAT refunds. 
			 2003-04 to 2005-06 Increase self generated income by £1.1 million to £7 million by 2005-06. 
			 2006-07 To deliver greater value for money for the taxpayer though increased income generation and reduced dependency on vote funding. To raise an income of £7 million. The Royal Parks exceeded the target by achieving income of £9.3 million. 
		
	
	We are discussing with the Royal Parks targets for the next spending review, period.

Tour Operators: Vetting

Lorely Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will make it his policy to require UK tour operators to  (a) check that staff employed in hotels abroad are screened to ensure that it is suitable for them to work with children and  (b) inform customers if staff working hotels abroad, including those that have been franchised, have been convicted of any sexual offences involving minors.

Margaret Hodge: UK nationals working with children in overseas hotels used by UK tour operators which are members of the Association of British Travel Agents are subject to UK police checks before appointment.
	Police checks or screening of the criminal records of foreign nationals either working for UK tour operators abroad, or working in hotels used by those operators, are matters for the law of the destination country and the local enforcement of that law.

Treasure Trove

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what percentage of treasure finds were reported via a finds liaison officer in 2006; and if he will make a statement.

Margaret Hodge: In 2006, out of 673 treasure finds reported to coroners, 97 per cent. were reported via a Finds Liaison Officer. This serves to highlight the excellent work the network of FLOs are doing to encourage and support the reporting of treasure.

VisitBritain: Finance

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much funding his Department provided to  (a) Visit Britain and  (b) Visit London in each of the last five years.

Margaret Hodge: VisitBritain's grant in aid funding for the last five years was as follows:
	
		
			   £ million 
			 2002-03 47.1 
			 2003-04 47.9 
			 2004-05 48.4 
			 2005-06 49.05 
			 2006-07 50.05 
		
	
	DCMS has provided an additional £1.9 million a year to the Greater London authority since 2002-03, to support the Mayor's statutory tourism duties. This funding supports London's important role as a gateway to the rest of the country for international visitors.
	DCMS also provides £3.6 million a year in grant in aid to regional development agencies for their tourism support work. That funding forms part of the agencies' total support for the sector, which totalled £43.5 million in 2006-07.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Departments: Manpower

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many people were employed by his Department on 1 January in each of the last five years; and how many of these staff were  (a) permanent employees,  (b) temporary staff and  (c) contractors.

Shahid Malik: Over the past five years the Department for International Development employed the following numbers of permanent staff:
	
		
			   Number 
			 2003 1,600 
			 2004 1,780 
			 2005 1,880 
			 2006 1,740 
			 2007 1,710 
		
	
	The Department does not hold central records of temporary staff or contractors (i.e. staff engaged but not paid directly from the Department's payroll).

Indonesia: Overseas Aid

Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what value of additional aid has been provided to Indonesia following the recent series of earthquakes in the region.

Shahid Malik: The Government of Indonesia have not requested international assistance following the recent earthquakes. DFID has been monitoring events, co-ordinating with the Government of Indonesia, UN, NGOs and other donors, and has been prepared to respond if necessary.
	Given the frequency of natural disasters in Indonesia, its national systems and resources are well prepared and largely able to cope. We are providing £4.4 million through the United Nations Development Programme for a major new disaster risk reduction programme in Indonesia, which will help the Government to implement their new action plan and lessen the impact of natural disasters.

Indonesia: Waste Management

Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what expertise the UK has shared with Indonesia on effective and safe disposal of household waste.

Shahid Malik: Waste disposal forms part of the reconstruction work DFID is funding in Aceh and Nias. DFID's support through the UNDP Tsunami Waste Management Programme has included technical training for local government bodies on municipal solid waste collection and transportation, landfill operation, and community education in environmental issues and waste management.

Overseas Aid

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much aid the UK gave to  (a) Jamaica,  (b) Nigeria and  (c) Pakistan in each of the last five years.

Shahid Malik: Information on UK aid to Jamaica, Nigeria and Pakistan is available in the DFID publication 'Statistics on International Development 2007'. This publication is available online at:
	www.dfid.gov.uk
	Relevant figures are reproduced in the following tables:
	
		
			  Table 1: UK Total Bilateral Gross Public Expenditure on Development, 2002-03 to 2006-07 
			  £000 
			   Nigeria  Jamaica  Pakistan 
			 2002-03 29,287 8,614 46,852 
			 2003-04 32,630 5,367 66,299 
			 2004-05 73,076 9,677 55,277 
			 2005-06(1) 1,227,717 9,521 97,688 
			 2006-07(1) 1,750,694 8,530 118,150 
			 (1) Expenditure to Nigeria in 2005-06 and 2006-07 includes large sums of debt relief of £1,135 million and £1,649 million respectively. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Imputed UK Share of Multilateral Official Development Assistance (ODA), 2001-05 
			  £000 
			   Nigeria  Jamaica  Pakistan 
			 2001 4,232 3,721 63,878 
			 2002 4,309 4,678 28,343 
			 2003 9,394 1,437 34,391 
			 2004 10,425 5,864 27,729 
			 2005 31,073 1,421 43,968

Sudan: Politics and Government

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will make a statement on the humanitarian situation in Darfur.

Gareth Thomas: The humanitarian situation in Darfur continues to deteriorate. The steady rise in violence this year has seen a further 260,000 people displaced, adding to the more than 2 million people already living in camps across the region. Many of the main camps are now well over capacity and there are real concerns regarding communicable diseases and access to adequate water.
	Instances of malnutrition have been on the increase and while aid agencies have made courageous efforts to address emerging needs, the quality of humanitarian assistance is decreasing as regular and consistent access to those in need is undermined by the widespread insecurity.
	Bureaucratic impediments on agencies operating in Darfur have been reduced due to the implementation of a UN-Government of Sudan Joint Communiqué, though this has to be seen against the escalation of attacks by armed groups against humanitarian agencies and the consequent scaling down of their operations.
	The UK is prominent in urging all sides to immediately cease hostilities, attend the proposed peace talks in Libya and respect the neutrality of humanitarian workers.

Windward Islands: Overseas Aid

Roger Gale: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much aid he has allocated to the Windward Islands in relation to the summer hurricanes; what financial assistance he plans to make available in respect of the loss of the August 2007 to January 2008 banana crop and related unemployment; and if he will make a statement.

Shahid Malik: DFID provided £166,000 to Oxfam-GB to assist 1,630 farmers and vulnerable families in Dominica and Saint Lucia. 700 Fairtrade banana farmers will receive cash for farm rehabilitation.
	DFID has contributed another £367,000 through European Commission (EC) contributions to relief efforts in the Caribbean as a whole.

DUCHY OF LANCASTER

Civil Servants: Vetting

Eric Pickles: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will place in the Library a copy of the HM Government Baseline Personnel Security Standards for vetting staff with Criminal Records Bureau checks.

Edward Miliband: I have today placed in the Library a copy of "HMG Baseline Personnel Security Standard—A Good Practice Guide to the Pre-Employment Screening of Government Staff and Contractors".
	This document describes good practice in recruitment checks that should be adopted for all new recruits to the civil service, armed forces, temporary staff and Government contractors generally. The Standard itself requires verification of identity, employment history, nationality and immigration status and any unspent criminal record. In respect of unspent criminal record, all recruits are required to make a self-declaration.

Departments: Buildings

Si�n Simon: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster 
	(1)  how many people will be working in the office building at 35 Great Smith street;
	(2)  if he will make a statement on the planned use of the office building at 35 Great Smith street.

Gillian Merron: Approximately 140 people are permanently based in 35 Great Smith street. The current occupants are the Ceremonial Secretariat, the Office of the Third Sector, the Independent Offices and the Committee on Standards in Public Life as well as staff from the facilities management and IT contractors. In addition, a crisis management facility is also located in the building. The Cabinet Office has no present plans to change the use of this building.

Departments: Consultants

Norman Baker: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will list the contracts his Department signed on a consultancy basis with a net value of more than 20,000 in 2006.

Edward Miliband: holding answer 18 October 2007
	The information requested for the Cabinet Office is not readily available and may not be obtained without incurring disproportionate costs.

Departments: Contracts

Francis Maude: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many invitations to tender the Cabinet Office has issued since June 2001; and for what purpose in each case.

Edward Miliband: The information requested for the Cabinet office is not readily available and may not be obtained without incurring disproportionate costs.

Departments: Correspondence

Bob Spink: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what guidance his Department follows on the maximum time taken to respond to hon. Members' correspondence; and what performance against that target was in the most recent period for which figures are available.

Edward Miliband: The Cabinet Office publishes guidance for Departments on 'Handling Correspondence from Members of Parliament, Members of the House of Lords, MEPs, and Members of Devolved Assemblies'. Copies are available in the Libraries of the House and it is also available on the Cabinet Office website at:
	http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/upload/assets/www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/propriety_and_ethics/correspondence.pdf
	The Cabinet Office also publishes on an annual basis, a report on Departments' and agencies performance on handling Members, and Peers, correspondence. This includes the target set by each Department to reply to hon. Members, the number of letters received and the percentage of replies within target. The last report for 2006 was published by the then Minister for the Cabinet Office (Hilary Armstrong) on 28 March 2007,  Official Report, columns 101-04WS.

Departments: Departmental Organisation

Norman Baker: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster 
	(1)  whether he plans to make structural changes within his Department;
	(2)  if he will place in the Library an organogram showing the staff structure of 10 Downing street and the Cabinet Office;
	(3)  what the membership is of the Cabinet Office board.

Edward Miliband: A copy of the Department's organogram has been placed in the Library of the House. It includes details of board members and the current structure of the Cabinet Office. Information regarding staff in 10 Downing street is published in Dod's Civil Service Companion and on the No. 10 website.

Departments: Legal Opinion

Francis Maude: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what the cost to the public purse has been of legal fees and advice for  (a) the previous Prime Minister,  (b) Downing Street staff and  (c) special advisers in relation to the recent police investigation into honours.

Edward Miliband: The Government have always made clear that the cost to Government of legal advice for their employees in connection with the police inquiry into honours will be published in due course.
	In relation to the previous Prime Minister, I would refer the right hon. Gentleman to the statements made by the Prime Minister's Official Spokesman on this subject which can be accessed at:
	http://www.pm.gov.uk/output/Page12038.asp

Departments: Manpower

Norman Baker: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many people were employed by his Department on 1 January in each of the last five years; and how many of these staff were  (a) permanent employees, (b) temporary staff and  (c) contractors.

Edward Miliband: The information is as follows:
	
		
			   Employees (FTE)   
			   Permanent  Temporary  Contractors (FTE)  Total (FTE) 
			 2007 1,456 28 8 1,492 
			 2006 1,726 35 4 1,765 
			 2005 1,889 39 2 1,930 
			 2004 1,960 50 (1) 2,010 
			 2003 1,850 50 (1) 1,900 
			 (1) Data not available.

Departments: Manpower

Francis Maude: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many full-time equivalent staff are employed by  (a) the Prime Minister's Downing street offices and  (b) offices of the Prime Minister which are classified as part of (i) the Cabinet Office separate from Downing street and (ii) HM Treasury.

Edward Miliband: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the Prime Minister on 15 October 2007,  Official Report, columns 819-20W.
	The Cabinet Office consists of many units, including the Prime Minister's office.
	There are no offices of the Prime Minister, which are classified as part of the Cabinet Office, separate from the Prime Minister's office.
	The Cabinet Office does not hold figures relating to HM Treasury.

Departments: Speeches

Francis Maude: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what guidance the Cabinet Office has produced on assistance to Ministers in the preparation of speeches at party conferences by civil servants who are not special advisers.

Edward Miliband: In advance of the annual party conference season, the Cabinet Secretary issued guidance to Departments on civil servants' involvement in such conferences. A copy of the letter circulated to Departments on 27 July 2007 has been placed in the Libraries of the House.

Olympic Games: Greater London

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Minister for the Olympics what plans exist to use  (a) regular and  (b) reserve elements of the armed forces in support of security at the 2012 Olympic Games.

Tony McNulty: I have been asked to reply.
	The Government have not received any proposals on the use of the armed forces in support of the security of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. We will consider any such proposals carefully should they arrive. Policing in the UK is carried out with the consent and co-operation of the community. We would not want to interfere with these long established policing traditions of which we are justly proud.

Olympic Games: Greater London

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Minister for the Olympics what plans exist to use non-UK  (a) police forces and  (b) military units in support of security of the 2012 Olympic Games.

Tony McNulty: I have been asked to reply.
	The Government have not received any proposals on the use of non-UK police forces or military units in support of security of the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. We will consider any such proposals carefully should they arrive. Policing in the UK is carried out with the consent and co-operation of the community. We would not want to interfere with these long established policing traditions of which we are justly proud.

Olympic Games: Greater London

Hugh Robertson: To ask the Minister for the Olympics what the  (a) bid book estimate,  (b) bid book estimate adjusted to 2012 prices and  (c) current estimate is for (i) the main Olympic stadium, (ii) the Velodrome and (iii) the Aquatic Centre.

Tessa Jowell: holding answer 16 October 2007
	The information requested is set out in the table, except for the current estimated costs of the Velodrome and the Aquatics Centre, which are commercially confidential at present as the Olympic Delivery Authority are in negotiations with potential bidders for the construction of these are in venues.
	
		
			  Venue  Bid book estimate at 2004 prices (US $ million)  Bid book estimate at 2004 prices converted to sterling $1:1.6 ( million)  Bid book estimate adjusted to 2012 prices ( million)  Approved forecast (including VAT, contingency and legacy transformation costs ( million) 
			 Main Olympic stadium 450 (1)282 (1)387 496 
			 Velodrome 46 29 40 n/a 
			 Aquatics Centre 117 73 100 n/a 
			 (1) These figures exclude VAT, additional contingency and legacy transformation costs all of which are included within the Approved forecast. Legacy transformation was estimated at 89 million at 2004 prices spread across the Olympic park venues.

Planning Permission: Air Conditioning

Si�n Simon: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will publish departmental guidelines on obtaining planning permission for the installation of air conditioning units in Government buildings.

Gillian Merron: The Cabinet Office seeks planning permission where this is required by the local planning authority, which will generally be consulted to determine whether an application is required or not, including in relation to the installation of air conditioning units.

Strategic Priorities for the UK

Graham Allen: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster whether the proposals in the Strategy Unit's Strategic Priorities for the UK: the Policy Review are under review.

Edward Miliband: The Strategy Unit's 'Strategic Priorities for the UK: The Policy Review' was published as a background paper to inform the Policy Review programme, the conclusions of which are set out in a series of papers available on the Cabinet Office website. The findings from the Policy Review have been feeding into a range of Government business including the comprehensive spending review, PSA targets and departmental plans and strategies.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

EU Reform: Treaties

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with his Czech counterpart on the proposed EU Reform Treaty.

Jim Murphy: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary is in frequent contact with all his EU counterparts, including the Czech Foreign Minister, on a wide range of issues, including the proposed EU Reform Treaty.

EU Reform: Treaties

Quentin Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the Dutch State Council's report on the EU Reform Treaty.

Jim Murphy: The Government welcome the Netherlands Council of State advice on the Reform Treaty. The Council of State is an independent, respected and authoritative body. It offers the Dutch government expert legal opinion on legislation.
	The Council of State's opinion, delivered on 12 September, emphasises the differences between the Constitutional Treaty and the proposed Reform Treaty. According to the Council:
	Unlike the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe, it (the Reform Treaty) provides no arguments for a gradual expansion of the EU towards a more explicit state or federation.
	The purpose of these changes, taken together, is to rid the proposed Reform Treaty as far as possible of the elements from the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe which could have formed a basis for the development of the EU into a more explicit state or federation.
	All this means that the proposed Reform Treaty is substantially different from the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe.
	This advice reflects the agreement by all 27 member states that the constitutional concept has been abandoned.
	Copies of the English translation of the Dutch Council of State advice have been placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

Foreigners: Honours

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether foreign citizens who are made honorary knights or dames are entitled to use the titles associated with those honours used by British recipients.

Jim Murphy: The bestowal of an honorary award at Class I or II level does not confer the title 'Sir' or 'Dame' on the holder. The appropriate post-nominal letters, e.g. 'Knight of the British Empire', 'Dame of the British Empire', may, however, be used, subject to the rules laid down by the authorities of the recipient's country. It is for the recipients to inform themselves of the rules.

Gaza: Poverty

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent estimate he has made of  (a) poverty and  (b) unemployment levels in Gaza; and if he will make a statement.

Shahid Malik: I have been asked to reply.
	DFID relies on agencies with a presence in Gaza for humanitarian and poverty updates and does not duplicate these by adding its own regular assessments. For example, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) and the Office of the United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process (UNSCO) closely monitor the humanitarian situation and produce regular reports. UNOCHA reports that 87 per cent. of Gazans live below the poverty line of $2.40 daily income.
	The Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics reports that unemployment for Gaza was 32.3 per cent. over the period April to June 2007. However, this figure is an underestimate as it does not include large numbers who have turned to unpaid family labour, are in seasonal employment or who have left the labour force when they could not find work. In addition, the World Bank reported in September that the closure of trade in and out of Gaza has significantly increased redundancies. The International Labour Organisation (ILO) estimates that an additional 10 per cent. of employees would like to work more hours if this were possible.

House of Europe

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions his Department has had with the European Commission on the establishment of a House of Europe in London; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Murphy: There have been no discussions between the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the European Commission regarding the establishment of a House of Europe in London.
	The European Commission and the European Parliament currently have separate office premises in London. The leases on both buildings are set to end within 12 to 18 months. The Commission and Parliament are currently considering whether to move into a suitable building together.
	The practice of sharing office premises exists in most member states.

Iraq: Armed Forces

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the answer of 8 October 2007,  Official Report, column 255W, on Iraq: armed forces, what changes were made to plans agreed before the invasion as a consequence of the flexibility to take full account of developments on the ground; and if he will make a statement.

Kim Howells: The details of planning remain confidential. Planning was reviewed on a regular basis and adapted in light of developments on the ground in Iraq and taking into account the views of the Iraqi people, who had suffered under Saddam Hussein's regime for 35 years.
	I refer my right hon. Friend to the answer I gave him on 8 October 2007,  Official Report, column 255W.

Iraq: Foreign Relations

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what proposals have been put forward for the creation of an international contact group for Iraq with a permanent secretariat; and what the UK's policy is on the proposals.

David Miliband: The creation of a Contact Group or similar initiative has previously been suggested by, among others, the UN and the Iraq Study Group.
	However, the Government of Iraq is clear that it should lead international discussions on Iraq and is doing so through the Neighbours process. We welcome that leadership, and the invitation it extended earlier this year to key members of the international community to participate. We believe that the Neighbours process is the primary international, multilateral mechanism for establishing co-operation between Iraq and its neighbours. We also welcome the UN Secretary-General's announcement at the High Level meeting on Iraq in New York on 22 September that the UN will help establish a permanent secretariat in support of regional co-operation.

Iraq: Young People

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much was committed by the UK to projects aimed at young people in  (a) Afghanistan and  (b) Iraq in each of the last five years.

Shahid Malik: I have been asked to reply.
	DFID supports the Government of Afghanistan to deliver services to children and young people, including 55 million this year to fund the recurrent budget, which pays salaries of teachers and doctors. It is not possible to attribute an exact figure for funding which benefited young people, since, for example, health sector funding provides benefits for all age groups. However, the following table sets out our total contribution to the Afghanistan Reconstruction Trust Fund (ARTF) for the last five years, and the estimated amount of this, which went to support the education budget:
	
		
			   million 
			  Financial year  ARTF unpreferenced funding  Amount supporting education( 1) 
			 2002-03 15 4.5 
			 2003-04 30 9 
			 2004-05 45 13.5 
			 2005-06 45 13.5 
			 2006-07 50 15 
			 1 Around one-third each year. 
		
	
	In addition, DFID Afghanistan has committed 42 million (2003-10) to the Government of Afghanistan's National Solidarity Programme, which funds communities' own priority projects including health clinics, schools, and wellsall of which benefit young people.
	The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has allocated 330,500 to projects that benefit young people in Afghanistan between 2004-05 and 2007-08. Examples of these projects include teacher training, vocational training and informal schooling for children who have not had access to the formal education system. And in 2006-07, the UK spent 6.2 million on Quick Impact Projects in Helmand, to improve local facilities, including 645,000 ($1.29 million) on schools and parks, which benefit young people.
	We have not specifically supported projects aimed at young people in Iraq. Our programme has focussed on supporting economic reform, governance and institutional building, providing essential infrastructure in southern Iraq, supporting civil society and political participation and addressing humanitarian needs. Since 2002-03, DFID has disbursed the following on bilateral assistance to Iraq:
	
		
			   million 
			  Financial Year  Reconstruction and Development Assistance  Humanitarian Assistance  Total DFID Bilateral Programme 
			 2002-03 0 18.8 18.8 
			 2003-04 99.3 110 209.3 
			 2004-05 27.7m 21.4 49.1 
			 2005-06 82.1 4.8 86.9 
			 2006-07 39.5 10.1 49.6 
			 
			 Total 248.6 165.1 413.7

Israel: Syria

Crispin Blunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he was informed of the recent Israeli attack on the alleged Syrian military installation; and what representations he has made to the Israeli Government on the attack.

Kim Howells: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary was informed by officials about the Israeli air strike on Syria on the afternoon of 6 September. The Israeli authorities confirmed on 2 October that Israeli aircraft had attacked a military target inside Syrian territory on 6 September. Our embassy in Tel Aviv has been in touch with the Israeli Government about the incident.

Israel: Syria

Crispin Blunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the implications of the Israeli attack on Syria on or about 6 September.

Kim Howells: The Israeli authorities confirmed on 2 October that Israeli aircraft attacked a military target inside Syrian territory on 6 September. The implications of the incident will depend on how both sides choose to respond. We welcome the restraint they have shown.

Middle East: Peace Negotiations

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with Mr. Blair as Middle East Envoy on  (a) Libya's approach to the Arab League's initiative on peace in the Middle East and  (b) Mr. Blair's last visit to Libya in 2007.

Kim Howells: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has had discussions with the right hon. Tony Blair about the Middle East Peace Process, including the Arab Peace Initiative. However, the meeting did not touch on Libya's approach to the Arab Peace Initiative or the right hon. Tony Blair's visit to Libya in May 2007.

Occupied Territories: Peace Negotiations

Crispin Blunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps have been taken to include the issue of the occupation of the Golan Heights in the proposed November peace conference.

Kim Howells: The agenda of the November meeting has not been finalised. As set out by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister to the House on 8 October,  Official Report, column 24 we hope that the November meeting will result in an agreement that puts the Israelis and Palestinians on a path to real negotiations in 2008 leading to a final settlement of two states living side by side in peace and security. We have made clear our hope that the meeting advances comprehensive peace in the region. Syria has yet to confirm its attendance. We continue to support a comprehensive peace, including between Israel and Syria, as called for in the Roadmap.

Republic of Ireland: Honours

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether titles awarded to citizens of the Irish Republic are deemed to be honorary in circumstances where the recipient was born after  (a) 29 December 1937,  (b) 21 December 1948 and  (c) 18 April 1949.

Jim Murphy: A non-British citizen can inherit a British title which would not be honorary, but he/she may lose some of the rights that go with it. The country of his citizenship may also lay down conditions.
	In the British honours system, substantive awards are given to British nationals and nationals of realm countries where Her Majesty the Queen is Head of State. The nationality at the time of the award is relevant, not the person's nationality at the time of his or her birth. A British honorary award can be given to non-British citizens or subjects. In the case of Ireland, a person can only retain British subject status if he/she was born before 1 January 1949. Individuals born after 29 December 1937 and 21 December 1948, but before 1 January 1949 would have retained British subject status if they notified the Secretary of State of their intention to remain a British subject. Someone born in Ireland on or after 18 April 1949 could not be a British subject.

Turks and Caicos Islands: Police

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when the police force of the Turks and Caicos Islands was last inspected by HM Inspectorate; and if he will place a copy of the Inspectorate's report in the Library.

Kim Howells: I refer my hon. Friend to the reply my right hon. Friend the then Minister for Europe (Mr. Hoon) gave to him on 1 February,  Official Report, column 498W.
	Although Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary has in the past conducted inspections of police forces of overseas territories, there is no record of one being carried out in the Turks and Caicos Islands.
	However, in November 1988 and August 2000 the Royal Turks and Caicos police force were reviewed by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office/Overseas Development Administration (now the Department for International Development) overseas police advisers, in their capacity as Inspector General of the Overseas Territory Police Forces.

Turks and Caicos Islands: Population

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the change in the level of the resident population of the Turks and Caicos Islands was over the past 20 years, broken down by those who were  (a) UK subjects,  (b) belongers and  (c) foreign nationals.

Kim Howells: The Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI) Government has provided the following information on its resident population. No information is available for the number of UK subjects in the TCI.
	
		
			   Total population  UK subjects( 1)  Belongers  Non-belongers 
			 1980 7,413 n/a n/a n/a 
			 1990 11,465 n/a n/a n/a 
			 2001 19,886 n/a 10,335 9,551 
			 2002 20,900 n/a 10,603 10,297 
			 2003 25,143 n/a 10,800 14,263 
			 2004 27,496 n/a 11,162 16,334 
			 2005 30,602 n/a 11,452 19,150 
			 2006 33,202 n/a 11,750 21,452 
			 n/a = not available. (1) This information is not held by the TCI authorities.

HEALTH

Antibiotics: Animals

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the implications for human health of the prevalence of antibiotic  (a) use and  (b) resistance in farm animals.

Jonathan R Shaw: I have been asked to reply.
	DEFRA's Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD) work very closely with colleagues in Department of Health, the Health Protection Agency and the Food Standards Agency on the implications of the use of antimicrobials in farm animals. There is increasing scientific support for the view that the increase in antimicrobial resistance affecting human health is largely the result of the prescribing of these products by the medical profession and their use in humans. However, it is recognised that the use of antimicrobials in animals has some impact on the occurrence of resistance genes in micro-organisms.
	The Government recognise that veterinary medicines, including antimicrobials, are required to ensure healthy food animals in the UK, but believes that their use should not replace good farm management and animal husbandry systems. The Government believe that antimicrobials should be used responsibly in food animal production and has issued guidelines for their responsible use. The VMD produced a document entitled 'Code of Practice on the Responsible Use of Animal Medicines on the Farm'. The industry's Responsible Use of Medicines in Agriculture Alliance (RUMA) has also published responsible use guidelines for antimicrobials that have been adopted by assurance schemes for the five major food-producing species.

Antibiotics: Animals

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the use in livestock production of antibiotics of last resort for humans; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan R Shaw: I have been asked to reply.
	DEFRA's Veterinary Medicines Directorate works very closely with the Department of Health, the Health Protection Agency and the Food Standards Agency on these issues. Under legislation implementing EU requirements, veterinary medicines, including those containing antimicrobials, require authorisation before they may be marketed or administered to animals. Authorisations are only issued where scientific assessment of data provided by the applicant demonstrates that the product adequately meets statutory criteria of safety, quality and efficacy when used in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions. Safety in this context includes consumers of produce from treated animals as well as the treated animal, other animals with which it may come into contact, people handling the product and the treated animal, and the environment. Antimicrobials authorised for therapeutic use are prescription only medicines and can only be supplied and administered in accordance with a veterinary surgeon's prescription.
	Antimicrobials used as a last resort in humans represent only a small proportion of the total amount of antimicrobials used in livestock production. For example, 1 tonne of fluoroquinolones were sold for livestock production in 2005. This amount represents 0.27 per cent. of the total amount of antimicrobials sold for use in livestock production. Similarly, in 2005, 1.1 tonnes of cephalosporins were sold. This amount represents 0.28 per cent. of the total amount of antimicrobials sold for use in livestock production.

Baby Care Units: Admissions

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many admissions there were to neonatal units in England in each year from 2002 to 2006; and if he will make a statement.

Ann Keen: The information requested is not collected centrally. However, information is in the following table on the number of finished consultant episodes (FCE) where neonatal care was provided in a specialist unit. This is not equivalent to the number of babies requiring care in a specialist unit. A baby may have had more than one FCE of neonatal care in a specialist unit.
	
		
			  Count of FCE where neonatal care was provided in a specialist unit, 2001-02 to 2005-06, national health service hospitals, England 
			   Special care  Level 2 intensive care  Level 1 intensive care  Total episodes 
			  2005-06 
			 General episode 18,598 3,475 4,394 68,661 
			 Birth episode 31,936 4,062 6,196  
			 Total 50,534 7,537 10,590  
			  2004-05 
			 General episode 17,202 2,854 4,020 64,746 
			 Birth episode 31,121 4,069 5,480  
			 Total 48,323 6,923 9,500  
			  
			  2003-04 
			 General episode 18,259 3,160 4,063 63,951 
			 Birth episode 28,946 4,400 5,123  
			 Total 47,205 7,560 9,186  
			  
			  2002-03 
			 General episode 15,062 2,784 3,516 59,730 
			 Birth episode 28,884 4,421 5,063  
			 Total 43,946 7,205 8,579  
			  
			  2001-02 
			 General episode 19,763 2,956 3,962 65,841 
			 Birth episode 28,756 4,305 6,099  
			 Total 48,519 7,261 10,061  
			  Notes:  Definitions of neonatal care provided in specialist units  Special care: Care given in a special nursery, transitional care ward or postnatal ward, which provides care and treatment exceeding normal routine care. Some aspects of special care can be undertaken by a mother supervised by qualified nursing staff. Special nursing care includes support for and education of the infant's parents.  Level 2 intensive care: (high dependency intensive care): Care given in an intensive or special care nursery, which provides continuous skilled supervision by qualified and specially trained nursing staff who may care for more babies than in level 1 intensive care. Care includes support for the infant's parents.  Level 1 intensive care: (maximal intensive care): Care given in an intensive or special care nursery, which provides continuous skilled supervision by qualified and specially trained nursing and medical staff. Care includes support for the infant's parents.  Definitions of general and birth episodes  General episode: A general episode is any episode which is not covered under other episode types. Other episode types include birth episodes, delivery episodes, patients formally detained under the provisions mental health legislation or long-term psychiatric patients, other birth events and other delivery events.  Birth episode: A birth episode is the hospital episode that commences at birth. If a baby is transferred from another episode or re-admitted to hospital after discharge, this new episode will not be classified as a birth episode, regardless of the age of the baby.  FCE An FCE is defined as a period of admitted patient care under one consultant within one health care provider. Please note that the figures do not represent the number of patients, as a person may have more than one episode of care within the year.  Data quality Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) are compiled from data sent by over 300 NHS trusts and primary care trusts in England. The Information Centre for health and social care liaises closely with these organisations to encourage submission of complete and valid data and seeks to minimise inaccuracies and the effect of missing and invalid data via HES processes. While this brings about improvement over time, some shortcomings remain.  Ungrossed data Figures have not been adjusted for shortfalls in data (i.e. the data are ungrossed).  Source: HES, the Information Centre for health and social care.

Clostridium: Greater London

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many cases of  clostridium difficile there were in hospitals in each London constituency in each of the last five years.

Ann Keen: Acute national health service trusts in England have been obliged to report all cases of  Clostridium difficile associated disease in people age 65 years and over since January 2004. The latest data were published in July 2007.
	The number of cases in acute NHS trusts in London region for the calendar years 2004, 2005 and 2006 are in the following table.
	These data are not available by parliamentary constituency.
	
		
			   Number of C. difficile reports for patients = 65 years 
			 2004 6,065 
			 2005 7,358 
			 2006 7,361 
			  Source:  Health Protection Agencyprovisional data.

Clostridium: Lancashire

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many cases of  Clostridium difficile there were in hospitals in Lancashire in each of the last five years;
	(2)  how many patients in Lancashire hospitals were successfully treated for  Clostridium difficile in each of the last five years.

Ann Keen: The information is not available in the requested format. Cases of  Clostridium difficile in people aged 65 or over were recorded under a mandatory surveillance system which commenced in January 2004. From April 2007, surveillance has been extended to cover cases in all patients aged two and above.
	The information in the following table shows cases in national health service trusts in the former Cumbria and Lancashire strategic health authority.
	
		
			  Number of Clostridium difficile reports in patients aged 65 or over 
			   January to December 
			  NHS trust  2004  2005  2006 
			 East Lancashire Hospitals 220 152 243 
			 Lancashire Teaching Hospitals 279 271 341 
			 Blackpool, Fylde and Wyre 352 389 428 
			 University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay 80 180 289 
			 North Cumbria Acute Hospitals 112 212 254 
			  Source: Health Protection Agency 
		
	
	Information on the number of patients successfully treated for  Clostridium difficile is not collected centrally.

Hospitals: Disease Control

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of best practice in hospital infection control in the UK private hospital sector.

Ann Keen: The Department regulates independent health care providers via the Care Standards Act 2000 and the Private and Voluntary Health Care (England) Regulations 2001.
	The Private and Voluntary Health Care Regulations contain a number of provisions to combat the spread of infection in the independent health care sector. Assessment of this is the responsibility of the Healthcare Commission. However, good infection control practices are the same in both sectors.

Hospitals: Disease Control

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people contracted MRSA or  clostridium difficile in  (a) NHS hospitals,  (b) military hospitals and  (c) private sector UK hospitals in 2006.

Ann Keen: The requested information is not available and the best data are from the mandatory surveillance system operated by the Health Protection Agency.
	All acute national health service trusts in England have been required to report from April 2001 all cases of methicillin-resistant  Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) bloodstream infections and from January 2004 all cases of Clostridium difficile infections (CDI) in people aged 65 years and over.
	Data for MRSA bloodstream infections are available by financial year and for the period April 2006 to March 2007 there were 6,378 reports. Data for CDI are available by calendar year and from January to December 2006 there were 55,634 reports.
	Military and private sector hospitals are not included in the mandatory system.

MRSA: Greater London

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many cases of MRSA there were in hospitals in each London constituency in each of the last five years.

Ann Keen: The information is not held in the format requested, as data are not available by constituency.
	However, all national health service trusts in England have been obliged to report all cases of methicillin-resistant  Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) bloodstream infections since April 2001, with the latest data published in July 2007.
	The MRSA data for those trusts in London for the last five years are summarised in the following table.:
	
		
			  MRSA bacteraemias; London (that is within London Strategic Health Authority: April 2002 to March 2007) 
			  April to March each year  Number of bacteraemias 
			 2002-03 1,707 
			 2003-04 1,682 
			 2004-05 1,392 
			 2005-06 1,320 
			 2006-07 1,205 
			  Source:  Health Protection Agency.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Departments: Fixed Penalties

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many fixed penalty tickets were incurred by vehicles within the purview of his Department in the last year for which figures are available; and what the total cost was.

Anne McGuire: The Department for Work and Pensions is not responsible for any fines or penalties incurred by persons using a departmental vehicle. The driver of a vehicle at the time an offence is committed is legally responsible to pay any fine, receive penalty points or any other sanction the law imposes.

Departments: ICT

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many  (a) laptops,  (b) mobile telephones and  (c) personal digital assistant devices bought for the use of departmental Ministers have been returned to the Department following each Cabinet reshuffle since 1997; and if he will make a statement.

Anne McGuire: The information requested could be supplied only at disproportionate costs. Ministers and staff are provided with equipment from the Department's central IT supplier. These are returned to the Department if a Minister leaves.

Departments: Secondment

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many staff are seconded to his Department from outside Government; from which outside body each has been seconded; and what the length is of each secondment.

Anne McGuire: The information can be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Departments: Visits Abroad

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much his Department spent on overseas travel in each of the last three years.

Anne McGuire: This information can be obtained only for the period commencing December 2005 to July 2007 (except rail, where the data is only available from June 2006).
	
		
			   
			   December 2005November 2006  December 2006July 2007 
			 Total 707,425 632,586 
		
	
	All data includes EU travel.
	The information for the remaining period can be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Employment: Speech Impaired

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what publicly-funded assistance is provided to help people with a severe stammer to gain and retain employment.

Anne McGuire: holding answer 18 October 2007
	People with a serious stammer are able to make use of the mainstream job placing services provided by Jobcentre Plus. For those who cannot be helped by these services, however, Jobcentre Plus provides a range of specialist disability measures via Disability Employment Advisers (DEAs) and Incapacity Benefit personal advisers.
	DEAs are trained to help people with a range of disabilities and health conditions consider work, take up work and also retain their jobs. The DEA focuses on customers who need more extensive support because of their health condition. They concentrate on making their customer aware of their capabilities and how to overcome their own particular barriers in the workplace. If a customer is concerned about losing their current job because of their health condition the DEA can advocate on the customer's behalf and explore practical ways to help them keep their job, with the employer. The DEA also has access to work psychologists to assist them in supporting customers if appropriate.
	People with a serious stammer may make use of the Access to Work programme. They can be helped by a support worker in a number of ways, for example as a job coach, mentor, advocate or counsellor. Customers can access Communication Support at Interview. This helps with the costs of employing an interpreter or communicator to accompany a customer attending a job interview, where the customer would experience difficulties in understanding or making themselves understood. This element is used primarily by hearing-impaired customers, but is open to anyone with a disability affecting their ability to communicate.
	WORKSTEP is a programme of supported employment which can provide tailored support to find, and retain, jobs for people with disabilities who have more complex barriers to finding and keeping work. WORKSTEP provides the support and opportunity for people to progress to open employment where this is the right option Work Preparation is an individually tailored, work-focused programme that enables people to address barriers associated with their disability and prepare to access a labour market with the confidence necessary to achieve and sustain their job goal. It can also be used to help people who are at risk of losing their job because of their disability by helping them to overcome difficulties that are affecting their work.

Jobseeker's Allowance

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average weekly expenditure is on jobseeker's allowance claimants, excluding the benefit, by Jobcentre Plus  (a) for the first three months and  (b) thereafter.

James Plaskitt: The information requested is not available.

Local Authorities: Standards

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what targets his Department sets for local authorities, including under the public service agreement, local area agreement and best value performance indicator regimes, on the  (a) number of benefit awards and  (b) number of unclaimed benefits.

John Healey: I have been asked to reply.
	Neither Communities and Local Government nor the Department for Work and Pensions sets targets for local authorities on the number of benefit awards and the number of unclaimed benefits. Local authorities may, if they wish, include targets on these issues in their local area agreements (including for Reward) which are agreed with central Government.

National Insurance: Foreign Workers

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will give a breakdown by nationality of the number of national insurance numbers issued to non-EU foreign citizens  (a) since 1997 and  (b) since 1 January 2004.

James Plaskitt: holding answer 15 October 2007
	Information is not available prior to 5 April 2002. The available information broken down by country of origin has been placed in the Library.

National Insurance: Foreign Workers

Robert Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many foreign nationals in  (a) Reading,  (b) Wokingham and  (c) Berkshire were issued with national insurance numbers in (i) the last year for which figures are available and (ii) each of the preceding four years.

James Plaskitt: Information is not available prior to 2004. Information is not available at county level. The available information is in the following table.
	
		
			  National insurance number registrations in respect of non-UK nationals in Reading and Wokingham local authority areas 
			  Year of registration  Reading  Wokingham 
			 2004-05 2,450 630 
			 2005-06 3,900 820 
			 2006-07 4,290 980 
			  Notes: 1. Numbers are rounded to the nearest 10. 2. Totals may not sum due to rounding. 3. Numbers are based on 100 per cent. data from the National Insurance Recording System (NIRS). 4. Local authority is assigned by matching postcodes against the relevant postcode directory. 5. Local authority counts are based on the most recently recorded address of the NINO recipient.  Source: 100 per cent. sample at 25 June 2005, 17 June 2006 and 14 May 2007 from the National Insurance Recording System

Occupational Pensions

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of people who have been members of occupational pension schemes which have been closed  (a) to new members and  (b) completely since 1997.

Mike O'Brien: The information is not available in the format requested. Such information as is available is presented in the following table:
	
		
			  Active members in closed occupational schemes 
			  million 
			   2000  2004  2005  2006 
			 Public sector 0.0 0.0  0.4 
			 Private sector 0.6 1.9 1.7 1.8 
			 Total 0.6 1.9  2.2 
			  Notes: (1) All figures are estimates and are taken from the Occupational Pension Scheme Survey, years 2006, 2005, 2004 and 2000. Data for years 2000 to 2005 inclusive were produced by the Government Actuary's Department (GAD). Data from 2006 were produced by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). 2006 is the latest year published. The coverage of the survey is the UK. (2) Unlike other years the 2005 survey only covered private sector schemes. (3) Results may not sum to totals shown due to rounding. (4) In 2005 data was not collected for public sector schemes or the total.  Source: Occupational Pension Schemes Survey

Older Workers

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people aged 50 years and over moved off benefits and into work in each of the last 10 years.

James Plaskitt: The information is not available.

Pensioners: Females

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many women pensioners in each five-year age cohort would receive an additional weekly pension increase of  (a) less than 5,  (b) 5 to 9.99,  (c) 10 to 14.99,  (d) 15 to 19.99 and  (e) 20 or more in 2010 if the reduction in qualifying years for a full pension were extended to them.

Mike O'Brien: The information is not available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Pensioners: Glasgow

David Marshall: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many  (a) males and  (b) females living in Glasgow, East constituency are drawing state retirement pension.

Mike O'Brien: As at February 2007, there were 5,210 male and 9,760 female recipients of State Pension in Glasgow, East parliamentary constituency.
	 Notes:
	1. Caseload figures are rounded to the nearest 10. Some additional disclosure control has also been applied.
	2. Parliamentary Constituencies are those used for the Westminster parliament.
	 Source:
	DWP Information Directorate: Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study.

Pensioners: Means Tested Benefits

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate his Department has made of the number and proportion of pensioners subject to some form of means testing for a part of their income.

Mike O'Brien: Latest available information relates to 2004. This shows that there were 3.74 million beneficiaries aged 60 and over of income related benefits, 30 per cent. of the population of this age group.

Pensioners: Poverty

Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the level of pensioner poverty in Ochil and South Perthshire since 2005;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the level of pensioner poverty in Clackmannanshire in each year since 1997;
	(3)  what assessment he has made of the likely effect of measures announced in the recent pre-Budget report and comprehensive spending review on pensioner poverty in Ochil and South Perthshire;
	(4)  what assessment he has made of the likely effect of measures announced in the recent pre-Budget report and comprehensive spending review upon pensioner poverty in Scotland.

Mike O'Brien: Specific information regarding low income is available in 'Households Below Average Income 1994-95 to 2005-06 (Revised)', a copy of which has been placed in the Library. The threshold of below 60 per cent. contemporary median income is the most commonly used in reporting trends in low income.
	The data source does not allow us to provide robust numbers for estimates below a regional level. Therefore estimates for Ochil and South Perthshire and for Clackmannanshire are not available. Instead, information on the numbers of pensioners in households with low incomes in Scotland for the period 1997-98 to 2005-06 is presented in the following table.
	
		
			  Number and percentage of pensioners in Scotland living in households below 60 per cent. median income after housing costs 
			   Thousand  Percentage 
			 1997-98 250 28 
			 1998-99 230 27 
			 1999-2000 250 28 
			 2000-01 220 25 
			 2001-02 210 24 
			 2002-03 220 25 
			 2003-04 180 21 
			 2004-05 150 16 
			 2005-06 150 16 
			  Notes: 1. The table shows number of pensioners in thousandsrounded to nearest 10 thousand. 2. Low income is determined for pensioners as living in households with incomes below 60 per cent. of the UK median after housing costs.  Source: Scottish Households Below Average Income 2005-06revised 
		
	
	Our policies have been effective in tackling pensioner poverty and now, for the first time ever in a period of sustained economic growth, pensioners are less likely to be in poverty than the population as a whole. Since 1997 over one million pensioners have been lifted out of relative poverty, including approximately 90 thousand pensioners (rounded to the nearest ten thousand) in Scotland.
	Minimum income guarantee and pension credit, winter fuel payments and a 7 per cent. real terms increase in the value of the basic state pension have all contributed to improving pensioner incomes. The announcement in the pre-Budget report to increase pension credit standard minimum guarantee to 124 a week for single pensioners (189 a week for couples) in 2008-09, and commitment to uprate it in line with earnings over the long term, demonstrates our continued commitment to tackling pensioner poverty.
	A new public service agreement 'Tackle poverty and promote greater independence in later life' was published as part of the comprehensive spending review on 9 October 2007. This clearly demonstrates that tackling the problems of low income among older people remains a key government priority.
	The Scottish government is also tackling pensioner poverty in Scotland, in partnership with the UK Government. It is promoting benefit uptake through the benefits health checks offered as part of the free central heating programme, and funding of the Scottish helpline for older people. Its central heating programme, free Scotland-wide bus travel, and free personal and nursing care are complementing measures provided by the UK Government.

Pensions: Financial Assistance Scheme

Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what progress has been made in finding additional funding to improve the Financial Assistance Scheme; and if he will make a statement.

Mike O'Brien: We await the report of Andrew Young which we have asked him to bring forward from the end of this year to November 2007.
	The Government will set out the details of their approach to further funding once that report has been published.

State Retirement Pensions: Overseas Residence

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many International Pension Centre clients are the spouse or dependent of a UK citizen.

Mike O'Brien: The information requested is not held in the form requested.

Winter Fuel Payments

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what the cost of the winter fuel allowance has been in each year since the scheme was established;
	(2)  what the estimated cost of the winter fuel allowance is in  (a) 2007-08,  (b) 2008-09,  (c) 2009-10,  (d) 2010-11 and  (e) 2011-12.

Mike O'Brien: The information requested is in the following tables:
	
		
			  Total cost and planned expenditure on winter fuel payments paid out in Great Britain since the scheme was established 
			  Outturn  y ears  Cash  t erms ( million) 
			 1997-98 191 
			 1998-99 194 
			 1999-2000 759 
			 2000-01 1,749 
			 2001-02 1,681 
			 2002-03 1,705 
			 2003-04 1,916 
			 2004-05 1,962 
			 2005-06 1,982 
			 2006-07 2,015 
		
	
	
		
			  Forecast y ears  Cash  t erms ( million) 
			 2007-08 2,059 
			 2008-09 2,102 
			 2009-10 2,137 
			 2010-11 2,145 
			 Notes:  
			  Notes:  1. Figures are consistent with the comprehensive spending review and are rounded to the nearest  million.  2. Winter fuel payment was introduced in 1997.  3. Payments made to people aged 60 to 64 years and over 80 payments are included from 2000-01 onwards. Following a European Court of Justice judgment in 1999, winter fuel payments were extended to people aged 60 or over regardless of whether they were receiving a social security benefit. A claims process was set up in the year 2000 to enable payments to be made to those people who could not be identified through the Department's records.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Audit Commission: Expenditure

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the administrative cost was of the Audit Commission in each year since 1996.

John Healey: This is an operational matter for the Audit Commission and I have asked the Chief Executive of the Audit Commission to write to the hon. Member directly.
	 Letter from Steve Bundred, dated 19 October 2007:
	Your Parliamentary Question on the administrative costs of the Audit Commission since 1996 has been passed to me for reply.
	It is very difficult to answer questions about administrative costs in the absence of any clear definition of this term. The definition of administrative costs employed within central government is not applicable to the Commission as the Commission does not have programmes run by third parties, and therefore all our expenditure is incurred in support of our statutory duties as set out in the Audit Commission Act 1998. I attach a schedule setting out our total costs since 1996.
	A copy of this letter will be placed in the House of Commons Library.
	Annex
	The Audit Commission's costs since 1996 are as follows:
	
		
			  Year end  Period length (months)  Total (000) 
			 1996 12 92,356 
			 1997 12 93,130 
			 1997 7 60,311 
			 1998 12 104,983 
			 1999 12 111,081 
			 2000 12 143,847 
			 2001 12 177,927 
			 2002 12 212,972 
			 2002/04 17 324,054 
			 2005 12 230,736 
			 2006 12 193,824 
		
	
	The Audit Commission changed its financial year end in 1997 so there are two sets of accounts for that year. Our financial year end was changed again in 2004, so the period 2002/04 is for 17 months, from November 2002 to March 2004.

Council Housing

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps she is taking to encourage the introduction of choice-based lettings in  (a) council housing and  (b) housing association stock.

Iain Wright: Sustainable Communities: Homes for All, published in January 2005, set out the Government's Choice Based Lettings (CBL) strategy: to build on the existing targetfor all local authorities to have adopted CBL by 2010by extending choice- based lettings to cover, not only local authority and RSL properties, but also shared ownership, low cost home ownership, and properties to rent from private landlords. It also encourages the development of CBL schemes on a regional and/or sub-regional basis, recognising that housing markets do not always follow local authority boundaries.
	We are making available 4 million over three years (2005-08) to fund new sub-regional and regional CBL schemes. Local authorities were invited to submit bids for the third and final round of funding by 12 October 2007 and the response rate has been most encouraging. We will be announcing the results before the end of the year.
	To date we have funded the development of 26 sub-regional schemes and one scheme which covers all London authorities. The pan-London Choice and Mobility Scheme (Capital Moves) is due to go live at the beginning of 2009.

Council Tax

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the average council tax was  (a) per dwelling and  (b) on Band D properties in Great Britain in (i) 1997-98 and (ii) 2007-08.

Angela Eagle: I have been asked to reply.
	Figures for average council tax  (a) per dwelling and  (b) on Band D properties in Great Britain are collected separately in England, Wales and Scotland, and are available from the following sources.
	 England from Communities and Local Government:
	(i) 1997-98, Levels of Council Tax Set by Local Authorities in England 2006-07, Table 1 at:
	http://www.local.odpm.gov.uk/finance/ctax/ctax067.pdf
	and (ii)2007-08, Levels of Council Tax Set by Local Authorities in England 2007-08, Table 1 at:
	http://www.local.odpm.gov.uk/finance/ctax/ctax078.pdf
	 Wales from Welsh Assembly Government:
	(i) 1997-98, Welsh Local Government Financial Statistics 1997, Table 11.3, Composition of council tax, by authority, 1997-98 and (ii) 2007-08, Council Tax Levels in Wales: 2007-08, Table 1 at:
	http://www.statswales.wales.gov.uk/tableviewer/document.aspx7Fileld=861
	 Scotland from the Scottish Executive:
	Both (i) 1997-98 and (ii) 2007-08 at Council Tax Data, tables Band D Council Tax Levels and Average Council Tax by Band at:
	http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Statistics/Browse/Local-Government-Finance/DatasetsCouncilTax

Elections: Local Government

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  what plans she has for local elections in the areas where unitary bids have been approved;
	(2)  what the timetable is for the elections for the new unitary councils and operation of the shadow unitary councils.

John Healey: In our Discussion Paper Councils' Proposals for Unitary Local Government: An Approach to Implementation published on 22 August we invited the views of those councils potentially affected by restructuring on when elections for any new unitary authorities should be held. That paper indicated that the options for elections in May 2008 or May 2009 are finely balanced and we are now considering the views we have received.

Flood Control

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what plans she has to review Planning Policy Guidance 25 on flooding.

Iain Wright: Following a comprehensive review of Planning Policy Guidance Note 25 we published a revised, stronger and clearer Planning Policy Statement (PPS) 25 in December 2006. We will be publishing in the early part of 2008 an accompanying Practice Guide which will take into account the initial findings from the Lessons Learnt Review being undertaken after the summer 2007 floods (The Pitt Review). PPS25 is available at:
	http://wwwcommunities.gov.uk/documents/planningandbuilding/pdf/planningpolicystatement25

Floods: EC Grants and Loans

Michael Fallon: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much EU assistance in respect of flooding in the UK in 2007 has been  (a) committed and  (b) spent.

John Healey: An application for support from the EU Solidarity Fund (EUSF) in respect of the June and July flooding in England, Wales and Northern Ireland was lodged with the European Commission on 20 August. The application is being discussed with the commission and it will be for them to decide on the level of assistance offered to the UK. Applications by other member states to the EUSF have resulted in offers of support ranging between 2.5 per cent. and 5 per cent. of the total damage suffered. The UK current estimate for total damage is 4.328 billion (approximately 2.9 billion).
	The application process involves internal EC consultations and an EU Budget Amendment proposal. It is unlikely that an outcome will become known before the end of this year.

Home Information Packs

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the timetable is for publishing the conclusions and research relating to the Home Information Pack dry-runs and trials.

Yvette Cooper: Full conclusions from the area trials will not be available until transactions have completed and buyers feedback has been obtained.

Home Information Packs

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate she has made of the average length of time it takes for a home information pack to be assembled.

Yvette Cooper: We have been monitoring the market since 1 August. Early indications show that most HIPs are being provided within five to seven working days.

Home Information Packs

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what requirements there are on sellers to update or replace the search element of home information packs when a property is on the market for more than six months.

Yvette Cooper: The HIPs (No. 2) Regulations 2007 require that a search must not be older than three months at the first point of marketing but there is no requirement in the regulations on how long searches can be in place before being updated or replaced.

Home Information Packs

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which  (a) mortgage lenders and  (b) solicitors she has been informed do not accept personal searches included in a home information pack.

Yvette Cooper: Personal searches formed around 40 per cent. of the market in advance of the introduction of HIPs. HIPs can include personal searches or local authority searches.
	Based on the 1 June 2007 version of the Council of Mortgage Lender's Handbook we understand that 27 of the top 30 lenders accept personal searches. HSBC is the only lender that has publicly stated that it does not and never has accepted personal searches.
	We have not been informed about particular solicitors decisions on searches.

Home Information Packs

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether the Government has received representations that mortgage lenders are refusing to accept information contained in home information packs.

Yvette Cooper: HIPs can include local authority searches or personal searches. 27 of the top 30 lenders accept personal searches which already account for 40 per cent. of the market even in advance of the introduction of HIPs. We have discussed this issue with a range of Stakeholders.

Home Information Packs: Fines

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether local authority trading standards departments will retain the revenue raised from fines on estate agents for non-compliance with home information pack obligations.

Yvette Cooper: Local authorities may retain the revenue from any penalty charge notices issued under section 168 of the Housing Act 2004.

Home Information Packs: Fines

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether local authorities may keep the income raised from home information pack fines levied by trading standards officers.

Yvette Cooper: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar (Mr. Pickles) today (PQ 157483).

Home Information Packs: Fines

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimates were made when drafting the home information pack regulations of the number of  (a) appeals to the County Court and  (b) debt recovery actions in relation to home information pack fines.

Yvette Cooper: The Government have made no such estimates. Local authorities bid for and received funding for enforcing the HIP duties, based on their estimates of the cost of such enforcement to them.

Home Information Packs: Pilot Schemes

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government in which locations home information pack dry-runs or pilots were conducted.

Yvette Cooper: The dry-run was run on a national basis.
	During the area trials home information packs were offered for voluntary take-up within the following towns and cities:
	Bath
	Cambridge
	Huddersfield
	Southampton
	Newcastle
	Northampton
	Southwark (London Borough of Southwark)
	North West Wales (Conwy, Isle of Anglesey, Gwynedd)

Home information Packs: Valuation Office

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what submissions or representations the Valuation Office Agency has made to her Department and its predecessor in relation to  (a) home information packs and  (b) energy performance certificates in the last 12 months.

Yvette Cooper: The Valuation Office Agency has made no such representations in the last 12 months.

Hostels: Females

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps she has taken to ensure that women living in hostels have privacy and security.

Iain Wright: The 90 million Hostels Capital Improvement Programme is providing improvements to 178 hostels and homelessness projects in 62 local authority areas. This includes investment of 3.8 million in women's refuges. A key element of the programme is to provide a quality physical environment that is both private and safe with services which engage that will raise aspirations and encourage self-esteem for those people who use the programme, to encourage them to acquire skills.

Housing: Armed Forces

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will provide additional finance to local authorities with military bases in their area to enable them to offer social housing to members of HM Armed Forces when they leave the services; and if she will make a statement.

Iain Wright: Funding for social housing is distributed regionally using a needs-based formula which takes account of all those in need of affordable housing, including, where appropriate, members of HM armed forces. The Regional Assemblies advise on funding priorities within their areas and, subject to value for money considerations and compatibility with national priorities, these factors inform the social housing delivered through the National Affordable Housing Programme which is run by the Housing Corporation, taking account of the needs of all those eligible.

Housing: Cheshire

Mark Hunter: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  how many homes were built in  (a) Cheadle constituency and  (b) Stockport local authority in (i) 2005 and (ii) 2006;
	(2)  how many homes were built by registered social landlords in  (a) Cheadle constituency and  (b) Stockport local authority in (i) 2005 and (ii) 2006.

Iain Wright: Information on new house building is collected at local authority level only. The figures for new build completions in Stockport local authority are tabulated as follows.
	
		
			  New build completions in Stockport 
			   Total new build( 1)  Registered Social Landlords( 2)  Social Rent 
			 2005-06 405 22 
			 2006-07 352 3 
			  Source: (1) As reported by the local authority and the National House-Building Council (P2 returns) (2) Housing Corporation social rent registered social landlord new build completions 
		
	
	New build social rent dwellings make up only part of the affordable supply; the remainder being acquired by registered social landlords or through intermediate housing e.g. low cost home ownership. In 2005-06, acquisitions and intermediate housing supplied through registered social landlords numbered 115, which added to the new build social rent (as reported in the table) amounts to a total affordable housing provision of 137 in Stockport.

Housing: Energy

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether an energy performance certificate for a private sector rental property which does not already have a certificate will be required when an existing rental contract is renewed.

Yvette Cooper: The Energy Performance of Buildings Regulations 2007 will not require an Energy Performance Certificate for private sector rental properties when an existing rental contract is renewed.

Housing: Inspections

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government in what manner the Criminal Records Bureau checks for accredited home inspectors differ from those for accredited domestic energy inspectors; and for what reasons.

Yvette Cooper: The Government consulted and agreed the level of criminal checks for energy assessors with the police. These checks are as strong or stronger than those for other professions who enter the home like gas inspectors and utility representatives.
	The basic check is used for domestic energy assessors and the standard check is used for home inspectors. This is consistent with or better than that required in comparable occupations: there must be a reasonable relationship between the checks made and the level of risk based on the access a person is expected to be given.

Housing: Inspections

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate she has made of the number of home inspectors who have become voluntarily redundant; and if she will make a statement.

Yvette Cooper: The Government do not have data on this issue.

Housing: Pollution Control

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the locations of the proposed 10 eco-towns are.

Yvette Cooper: Initial bids for the scheme are requested by the end of October. Government will then decide which schemes have the potential to go forward and final decisions on the locations of eco-towns will be a matter for independent testing and decision through the statutory planning process.

Housing: Temporary Accommodation

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what measures are in place to ensure that people who move on from hostels into more permanent forms of accommodation receive support in the first few months of their new tenancies.

Iain Wright: Hostel staff work closely with all residents to ensure that they are fully equipped to move as seamlessly as possible into independent living. Where appropriate they will ensure that they are provided with further housing support, which could be provided under Supporting People arrangements or through tenancy sustainment teams.

Local Authorities: Finance

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what guidance  (a) her Department and its predecessor and  (b) the Standards Board for England have provided to local authorities and their members on whether donations to political parties by developers should be declared as an interest by those councillors of that political party when they consider planning or licensing applications connected to that developer.

John Healey: Neither the Department nor the Standards Board for England have issued guidance to local authorities or their members of the sort referred to.

Local Government: Reorganisation

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government to what Parliamentary procedure the implementation orders for local government restructuring will be subject.

John Healey: The Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Bill provides that any implementation orders will be subject to affirmative resolution.

Multiple Occupation

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether she plans to review the efficacy of the regulatory and legislative framework in respect of houses in multiple occupation; and if she will make a statement.

Iain Wright: The Department is committed to an ongoing review of the operation and effectiveness of the Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMO) licensing regime. As part of this process the Department has recently introduced flexibility for local authorities in respect of the prescribed standards for the numbers of toilets, bathrooms and wash hand basins in all HMOs. The Department has commissioned the Building Research Establishment (BRE) to conduct a study in 2008 on the practical implication, effectiveness and impact of the HMO licensing regime since implementation.

Planning

James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the written statement of 9 October 2007,  Official Report, columns 25-7WS, on planning, what the Government's policy is on the application of the statutory planning charge to a charity which develops its own property for its own use rather than for sale.

Iain Wright: The Government intend to introduce new legislation in the forthcoming Planning Reform Bill to empower local authorities to apply standard planning charges in their areas to help finance the infrastructure needed to support growth, particularly housing growth. In her statement on 9 October, my right hon. Friend the Minister for Housing (Yvette Cooper) said that there would be a low  de minimis threshold for the new charges. We will make further announcements on the detailed arrangements for the charge when we introduce the new legislation.

Planning: Renewable Energy

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many local planning authorities have adopted policies requiring onsite renewable energy in proposals for major developments.

Yvette Cooper: In June 2006 we reported on an examination of plans which had come forward since Planning Policy Statement 22 (PPS22) was published to establish how many contained a policy expecting a percentage of the energy to be used in new residential, commercial or industrial developments to come from on-site renewables. 39 out of the 69 plans which could reasonably have been expected to include such a policy did so. We do not hold figures for policies adopted prior to the publication of PPS22. Subsequently, the Town and Country Planning Association published their own survey highlighting
	an impressive surge in onsite renewable energy policies.
	This suggested that more than 170 local authorities were
	working up policies to require developers to generate clean, safe energy onsite in new developments.
	Policies vary in their scope and the scale of development to which they are applied.

Planning: Renewable Energy

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many legal challenges have been made to local authorities implementing the Merton Rule requirement for onsite renewable energy in major new developments.

Yvette Cooper: This information is not held centrally and could be assembled only from local authorities at a disproportionate cost.

Taxation: Business

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what her timetable is for legislating to introduce a supplementary business rate; and whether primary or secondary legislation will be required.

John Healey: Supplements will require primary and secondary legislation. Subject to Parliament's approval, the intention is that the power to raise supplements should come into use on 1 April 2010.

Valuation Office

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 25 July 2007,  Official Report, column 1156W to the hon. Member for Beckenham, on the Valuation Office, for how long Cole Layer Trumble are contracted to provide consultancy advice to Capgemini.

John Healey: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Meriden (Mrs. Spelman) on 26 April 2006,  Official Report, column 1200W. The contract between Cole Layer Trumble and Capgemini is ongoing.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Agriculture: Land Use

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much agricultural land in England, in hectares, was given for best and most versatile status in  (a) 1997 or the nearest year available and  (b) the most recent year for which figures are available.

Jonathan R Shaw: There is no national programme to collect statistics on the amount of Best and Most Versatile agricultural land (designated as grades 1, 2 and 3A under DEFRA's Agricultural Land Classifications system) in England. According to the most recent estimates, made in 1993-94, there were 4.8 million hectares of such land in England.

Agriculture: Mushrooms

Howard Stoate: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what steps his Department is taking to support the UK mushroom farming industry;
	(2)  what steps his Department is taking to encourage the major multiple retailers and other food retailers in the UK to stock locally grown mushrooms in their stores.

Jonathan R Shaw: DEFRA supports the mushroom industry by funding research to address problems of concern to growers and to ensure a sustainable industry in the future. In particular, the most serious problem that has affected the industry in recent yearsVirus Xhas been addressed by a DEFRA-funded project carried out by the mushroom research unit at the facilities at the Warwick-HRI research centre. This project, which finished earlier this year, cost in excess of 900,000.
	Food From Britain, using the additional 1 million per annum funding DEFRA has provided under our regional food strategy, has been facilitating meetings between a number of retailers and the regional food groups aimed at getting more quality regional and local foods on to supermarket shelves. A number of successful local sourcing activities have resulted from this activity, which complements the work being carried out by retailers themselves.

Bovine Tuberculosis

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will make a statement on progress in developing the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test for detecting bovine tuberculosis (TB); what discussions he has had with the Institute of Animal Health and Smiths Detection on the matter; and when he expects PCR testing to be used to detect bovine TB.

Jonathan R Shaw: We are fully aware of the need to develop a rapid and reliable test for the detection of  Mycobacterium bovis (M. bovis) infection in cattle tissues and in live badgers or badger setts. DEFRA has been funding work using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technique to develop tests for  M. bovis since 1999. This has included work to develop a bovine TB (bTB) screening test that can detect the presence of  M. bovis DNA in infected cattle tissues. Work to date shows promise for use of the test to achieve faster confirmation and subsequent tracing of bTB infection in slaughterhouse cases.
	Detection of  M. bovis DNA in samples directly from live badgers and in their excretions using PCR is difficult because of the low levels and intermittent nature of excretion of  M. bovis by infected animals. There are also difficulties around extracting DNA from mycobacteria, and the presence of components that slow down the PCR in clinical samples (PCR inhibitors). Over the next three years, 1.3 million will be invested in work using the PCR technique to develop a test that will allow us to differentiate between  M. bovis and similar species of mycobacterium from environmental samples. While it may be possible for a PCR test for environmental  M. bovis DNA to identify areas (such as setts) where the organism is present, we would not be able to identify individual animals that were infected. In addition, at the moment, we would not be able to identify whether the DNA that was detected was from  M. bovis mycobacteria that were alive and infectious. PCR is not yet as sensitive, specific or reliable as conventional bacterial culture in detection of  M. bovis and a validated PCR test is not likely to be available in the short-term. Careful consideration of how such a test could usefully be employed to replace, or be used in conjunction with, existing tests will also be needed once its performance has been assessed.
	Those carrying out the DEFRA-funded PCR research are working in collaboration with others with an interest in this field in the UK. However, DEFRA does not have a record of specific discussions with the Institute of Animal Health or Smiths Detection about PCR.

Bovine Tuberculosis: Shropshire

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans he has to tackle the increase in the incidence of bovine TB in Shropshire.

Jonathan R Shaw: We recognise that the level of bovine tuberculosis (bTB) in cattle is unacceptably high, and that some areas, such as Shropshire, are becoming more affected. In line with the GB Strategic Framework for the Control of Bovine TB, we are tailoring our policies to take account of the regional variation of disease risk as well as reflecting emerging evidence. Working on these principles, we have introduced measures such as pre-movement testing for cattle moving out of high risk herds. We have also extended the use of the gamma interferon blood test (alongside the TB skin test) to improve the sensitivity of our testing regime and identify more infected animals more quickly.
	We will continue to work in partnership with interested parties to embed and monitor these measures. We have also recently developed revised TB husbandry guidance in association with the Bovine TB Husbandry Working Group, and published two free guidance booklets for farmers, to help them prevent bTB in their herds.
	Looking ahead, DEFRA funds a wide-ranging bTB research programme and we will continue to use emerging evidence to inform our policies for the future. In June, the Independent Scientific Group on Cattle TB published its Final Report which adds to the scientific evidence base. We are now considering carefully the issues raised in the report and we will work with farmers, Government advisers and scientific experts in reaching final policy decisions on these.

Carbon Emissions

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans he has for standardising the reporting mechanisms by which business and industry account for their emissions of carbon dioxide; and if he will make a statement.

Phil Woolas: The Carbon Reduction Commitment (CRC) will begin in January 2010. CRC will apply mandatory emissions trading to up to 5,000 large non-energy intensive business and public sector organisations (including banks, large office buildings, supermarkets, large retail chains and Government departments). These organisations will be required to monitor their energy use and report this annually in a standardised format.
	The Government require companies and industries to report on their greenhouse gas emissions (GHG), including carbon dioxide (CO2), in a standardised format. For example, all installations taking part in the European Union Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS) must monitor and report their CO2 emissions in accordance with guidelines produced by the European Commission. The imminent CRC will require companies involved in the mandatory trading scheme to monitor their energy use and report this annually in a standardised format.
	The Government are also keen that companies voluntarily report on their environmental impacts by publishing guidance in 2006 on how companies could report on environmental issues through Key Performance Indicators. This guidance includes standardised conversion factors for the direct and indirect use of GHG emissions. These guidelines are compatible with the Greenhouse Gas Protocol, an accounting framework responsible for most global GHG standards and programmes.
	The Government have also supported the work of the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP), a voluntary investor driven approach encouraging companies to disclose quantified GHG emissions data and the Global Reporting Initiative. To develop this further, the Government are also supporting work by the Climate Disclosure Standards Board (CDSB) to develop an international standard on entity wide GHG emission reporting. The CDSB was announced at the World Economic Forum in Davos in January 2007 and will include a range of stakeholders, including accountants, business and Non Governmental Organisations to develop an internationally applicable standard.

Carbon Emissions

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the likely effect on the operation of the proposed carbon offsets scheme of  (a) including and  (b) excluding credits from voluntary emission reductions projects;
	(2)  what representations he has received on the inclusion of voluntary emissions reduction credits in the Code of Best Practice on carbon credits.

Phil Woolas: DEFRA received 166 responses to the consultation on the proposed Code of Best Practice, which closed on 13 April 2007. Ministers are currently considering the likely impacts of including and excluding credits from voluntary emissions reductions projects within the proposed code of best practice for offsetting.
	A partial Regulatory Impact Assessment was published with the consultation document on 18 January 2007. A final Impact Assessment will be prepared for the approach Ministers decide to take.
	The Secretary of State has received various representations on the proposed Code of Best Practice, including letters and a discussion of the issue with Jonathan Porritt, chair of the Sustainable Development Commission. The Environmental Audit Committee's report on the Voluntary Carbon Offset Market also addressed this issue and is informing Ministers' consideration.

Departments: Consultants

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which private consultancy firms  (a) his Department and  (b) agencies which report to his Department engaged in each of the last three years; which programmes or projects each firm worked on; and what the approximate cost to the Department or agency concerned was of each engagement.

Jonathan R Shaw: The Department does not hold a central list of every private consultancy firm engaged by the core Department and its executive agencies over the last three years; which programmes or projects each firm worked on; and the cost of each engagement. Such a list could be provided only at disproportionate cost. The Department came into being in July 2001. From information held centrally, the core-Department's expenditure on consultancy and professional services over the financial years 2002-03 to 2006-07 is as per the following table:
	
		
			   
			  Professional services  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07 
			 IT and Telecommunication 45,431,803 52,805,769 99,254,525 130,937,698 162,829,742 
			 Management and Business Consultancy 15,317,092 20,260,714 78,671,992 44,136,007 29,344,628 
			 Programme and Project Management 20,579,670 23,118,978 24,323,086 18,192,186 4,407,693 
			 Research and Development 9,032,254 9,751,623 18,113,871 20,190,046 33,450,349 
			 Specialist Consultancy 39,942,837 39,828,357 36,312,208 36,646,432 53,732,059 
			 Temp Staff 10,536,838 9,383,419 9,623,459 9,890,898 6,665,696 
			 Grand total 140,840,492 155,148,860 266,299,141 259,993,267 290,430,167 
		
	
	The reduction in expenditure for programme and project management between 2005-06 and 2006-07 is the result of re-classifying some 14 million into the specialist consultancy expenditure category. This will be the subject of an explanatory note in the DEFRA Departmental Report for 2008.

Departments: Internet

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many websites his Department operates; how many it operated at 1 January 2005; and what the estimated annual cost has been of running his Department's websites in the last five years.

Jonathan R Shaw: As part of the Transformational Government Web rationalisation process, DEFRA is currently reviewing all its websites. Over time, content will be rationalised and where appropriate moved to Directgov and Business link. A number of the current websites will close.
	A list of the websites DEFRA is responsible for was published by PSX(e) in 2007. Additional information on visitor numbers and operating costs may be found in a response to an earlier question from Theresa May (135733).
	Information on the number of websites operated on 1 January 2005 is not held.

Departments: Internet

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many hits the  (a) most popular and  (b) the least popular website run by his Department has received since 1 January 2007.

Jonathan R Shaw: The core DEFRA website, www.defra.gov.uk has received the following hits monthly since January 2007. More detailed records for other websites within the DEFRA network are not readily available, although information on visitor numbers can be found in a response to an earlier question from Theresa May (135733). A list of the websites DEFRA is responsible for was published by PSX(e) in March 2007.
	
		
			  Month  Hits  Unique visitors  Sessions 
			 January 19,021,582 463,278 2,746,328 
			 February 18,471,467 454,404 2,832,884 
			 March 17,657,504 464,599 3,077,232 
			 April 17,639,549 440,434 2,857,141 
			 May 18,912,812 472,407 2,992,482 
			 June 16,591,315 397,278 2,891,503 
			 July 10,681,215 281,650 1,877,892 
			 August 27,010,619 563,665 3,483,506

Departments: Manpower

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many and what percentage of employees in  (a) his Department and  (b) each (i) executive agency and (ii) non-departmental public body funded by his Department are above state retirement age.

Jonathan R Shaw: The percentage of employees above state retirement age for Departments and executive agencies is not available from published sources.
	The following table shows the number of staff in DEFRA and its agencies who were above state retirement age on 30 September 2006, where such information was available. The data used to provide this information was obtained from civil service statistics collected from Departments by the Office for National Statistics.
	
		
			   Number of staff 65 or over (age known( 1) )  Total number of staff (age known ( 1) )  Percentage over retirement age 
			 DEFRA (2) 5,430 (2) 
			 AH 0 1,450 0.00 
			 CEFAS 0 550 0.00 
			 CSL (2) 720 (2) 
			 CDS 0 20 0.00 
			 MFA 0 160 0.00 
			 PSD 0 200 0.00 
			 RPA(3)
			 VLA 0 1,340 0.00 
			 VMD 0 140 0.00 
			 (1) Analysis has been carried out where age known.  (2) Data not available.  (3) Indicates where data collection method does not allow age analysis.  Note:  Numbers are rounded to the nearest 10. 
		
	
	The information requested is not available for non-departmental public bodies.

Departments: Secondment

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many staff are seconded to his Department from outside Government; from which outside body each has been seconded; and what the length is of each secondment.

Jonathan R Shaw: There are currently 29 staff on inward secondment to DEFRA from outside Government. They are on secondment from the following organisations:
	
		
			  Outside body  Number 
			 BCSE 1 
			 Belfast City Council 1 
			 Borough of Telford and Wrekin Co. 1 
			 Camden Council 1 
			 EADS Astrium 1 
			 EAGA Partnership 1 
			 ENCAMS 2 
			 Environment Agency 1 
			 Ernst  Young 1 
			 IDA 1 
			 MLC 1 
			 Natural England 3 
			 Npower 1 
			 OFGEM 4 
			 Partnerships UK 1 
			 Policy Studies Institute 1 
			 RPS (London Remade) 2 
			 Scottish Executive 1 
			 Staffordshire Fire and Rescue 1 
			 Swedish Energy Agency 1 
			 Transport Research Lab. 1 
			 University of Cambridge 1 
		
	
	The lengths of the secondments are as follows:
	
		
			  Length of secondment  Number 
			 less than 1 year 4 
			 1 to 2 years 15 
			 2 to 3 years 4 
			 3 to 4 years 4 
			 4 to 5 years 2

Dogs: Animal Breeding

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps he is taking to prevent the sale of puppies from unlicensed farms and rearing establishments.

Jonathan R Shaw: Anyone in the business of breeding and selling dogs requires a licence from the local authority under the Breeding of Dogs Act 1973 (as amended 1999). It is for local authorities, who have extensive powers to check for unlicensed premises, to enforce the requirements of the Act.

Domestic Wastes: Waste Disposal

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will place in the Library copies of the  (a) 2005 and  (b) 2007 editions of the guidance produced by Waste Resources Action Programme on alternate weekly collections of household rubbish.

Joan Ruddock: The Waste and Resources Action Programme's 2005 guidance on alternative weekly collections of waste was withdrawn while it was being updated. A new version was published in July 2007. I have arranged for this to be placed in the Library of the House.
	I have asked the Waste and Resources Action Programme to write directly to the hon. Member to provide him with a copy of the out-of-date 2005 edition of the guidance.

Environmentally Sensitive Areas

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will take steps to ensure that Natural England has sufficient resources to cope with the re-negotiation of environmentally sensitive area agreements as part of the new EU regional development plans.

Jonathan R Shaw: Arrangements for operating agri-environment schemes, including the Environmentally Sensitive Areas scheme, are the responsibility of Natural England.
	The Secretary of State announced on 29 March 2007,  Official Report, column 131WS, that the overall budget for the Rural Development Programme for England covering the period 2007 to 2013 will be 3.9 billion. The proportion of that budget which will be devoted to agri-environment schemes, which includes Environmentally Sensitive Areas agreements, is expected to be about 2.9 billion. This represents an increase of 1.3 billion over the funding that was available, for agri-environment schemes, in the 2000 to 2006 period under the England Rural Development Programme.

Farmers: Animal Welfare

James Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of the cost to farmers of the cost sharing mechanism for animal health and welfare announced in the Chancellor of the Exchequer's statement on the comprehensive spending review.

Jonathan R Shaw: As no conclusions have yet been reached on a cost sharing mechanism for animal health and welfare, no estimate of the element falling to farmers has been possible. We aim to consult further on principles and possible options before the end of the year.
	Iain Anderson's 2002 report on the handling of the 2001 outbreak of foot and mouth disease (FMD) recommended that the tax payer should not be expected to foot the bill (approximately 3 billion that time) for compensating farmers as a result of an animal disease outbreak. Cost sharing and responsibility sharing need to be taken together to realise the considerable benefits they offer to both the industry and the Government. A cost sharing mechanism, when combined with responsibility sharing, should result in greater efficiencies, reduced risks, better decisions and more effective contingencies for risks. Therefore, it should reduce the overall costs which would also be more equitably shared between the Government and the industry, in line with Iain Anderson's 2002 recommendations.

Fish

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the 40 tonnes of Area VII anglerfish swapped away from the under 10 metres pool has been swapped for.

Jonathan R Shaw: The 40 tonnes of Area VII anglerfish was the 2007 element of a cross-year swap that Fisheries Administrations undertook in 2006 with the South Western Fish Producers' Organisation (FPO). It gained 40 tonnes of Channel plaice quota for the 10 metre and under fleet, ensuring that the inshore fishery was not closed prematurely as a result of heavy landings. Annual uptake of anglerfish during previous years had suggested that the 10 metre and under pool allocation would not be taken in full during 2007. In 2007, the Marine and Fisheries Agency have acquired some 33 tonnes of additional VII anglerfish quota for the 10 metre and under pool allocation.

Fisheries

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of the size of the domestic fishing industry in each European Economic Area country.

Jonathan R Shaw: Information on the size of the fleet and landings of sea fish (including shellfish) for each European Union member state is readily available only for 2005 and is in the following table. Figures on the size of the fleet for 2006 are published in Sea Fisheries Statistics 2006 and a copy has been placed in the House of Commons Library.
	
		
			  European Union fishing industry 2005( 1) 
			   Number of vessels( 2)  Engine Power kW( 2)  Gross Tonnage( 2)  Catch (Thousand tonnes) 
			 Belgium 121 65,643 22,686 24.1 
			 Cyprus 887 47,381 9,123 1.9 
			 Denmark 3,274 326,368 91,934 910.5 
			 Estonia 1,045 61,983 24,217 96.3 
			 Finland 3,267 171,638 17,123 95.5 
			 France 7,859 1,070,040 215,110 572.2 
			 Germany 2,121 159,299 64,075 264.3 
			 Greece 18,275 536,938 93,017 91.2 
			 Ireland 1,411 215,958 87,753 262.0 
			 Italy 14,459 1,226,735 213,232 294.6 
			 Latvia 928 66,205 38,539 150.3 
			 Lithuania 272 70,651 64,403 138.2 
			 Malta 1,421 102,110 19,009 1.4 
			 Netherlands 830 401,507 171,988 547.1 
			 Poland 974 105,344 30,258 135.8 
			 Portugal 9,955 384,291 108,700 211.8 
			 Slovenia 169 10,967 1,059 1.0 
			 Spain 13,691 1,124,330 487,396 840.1 
			 Sweden 1,640 221,904 44,780 254.9 
			 United Kingdom(3) 6,716 876,479 217,617 707.8 
			 (1) Data for other member states provided by the Food and Agricultural Organisation, of the United Nations (FAO) and Eurostat.  (2) As at 31 December 2005.  (3) Includes islands.

Fisheries: Manpower

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many  (a) full-time and  (b) part-time fishermen there are in each European Economic Area country.

Jonathan R Shaw: In 2006, there were 12,934 fishermen in the United Kingdom. Of these, 10,358 were regular fishermen and 2,576 were part-time.
	A recent European Commission study concluded that concepts and definitions relating to employment in the fishing industry were not harmonised across member states, and the availability of such data across the EU is not uniform making it impossible to carry out meaningful comparisons across the EU. As such, similar figures for other member states are not available.

Fisheries: White Fish

Roger Gale: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what his Department's assessment is of the optimum minimum landing size for sea bass required to promote the creation of a robust stock structure and stimulate the development of recreational sea fishery.

Jonathan R Shaw: Scientific advice from the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea suggests that sea bass is fished sustainably under current management measures which include a minimum landing size (MLS) of 36 cm.
	The regulatory impact assessment, produced as part of proposals to increase the MLS for bass in England, set out the impact of the measures on bass stocks, and the associated costs and benefits for recreational sea anglers and commercial fishermen. This was published on 10 August 2006.
	I will make an announcement shortly, on whether I will introduce an increased MLS for bass.

Fishing Vessels

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many  (a) under-10 metre and  (b) over-10 metre fishing vessels there are in each European Economic Area country.

Jonathan R Shaw: As at 31 December 2006 there were 5,203 vessels of 10 metres in length and under in the UK fishing fleet (including islands), and 1,555 vessels over 10 metres. UK fishing vessels of 10 metres in length and under are subject to specific rules in the management of fish quotas. This distinction does not apply across the rest of Europe and as such figures are not readily available on this basis. However, they are available for the number of European Union vessels above and below 12 metres in length, and this information is given in the table.
	
		
			  Number of vessels in the European Union fishing fleet by vessel length, 31 December 2006 
			  Overall length 
			   Under 12m  12m or more  Total 
			 Belgium 0 107 107 
			 Cyprus 815 59 874 
			 Denmark 2,422 717 3,139 
			 Estonia 861 134 995 
			 Finland 3,074 122 3,196 
			 France 6,324 1,349 7,673 
			 Germany 1,631 386 2,017 
			 Greece 16,934 1,111 18,045 
			 Ireland 1,441 368 1,809 
			 Italy 9,593 4,534 14,127 
			 Latvia 734 163 897 
			 Lithuania 197 69 266 
			 Malta 1,311 104 1,415 
			 Netherlands 289 551 840 
			 Poland 609 274 883 
			 Portugal 7,902 852 8,754 
			 Slovenia 147 24 171 
			 Spain 9,871 3,520 13,391 
			 Sweden 1,287 299 1,586 
			 United Kingdom 5,637 1,121 6,758 
			 Total 71,079 15,864 86,943

Flood Control: Finance

Michael Spicer: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will make a statement on the mechanism by which the funds for flood defences will be dispersed throughout the country.

Phil Woolas: Following public consultation, a set of criteria has been developed to provide greater clarity on what funding and policies for flood and coastal erosion risk management are intended to achieve.
	The public consultation also included criteria for priorities. We are now working with the Environment Agency to develop an effective prioritisation process for the capital programme. Allocation of funds for maintenance works is undertaken by the Agency on the basis of their asset management strategy. This takes account of risk.

Fly-tipping: Travelling People

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what proportion and number of fly-tipping incidents recorded on the Flycapture database were associated with traveller sites in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Joan Ruddock: The Flycapture database records the number of fly-tipping incidents that occur on specified land classifications. This does not include fly-tipping incidents that occur on Traveller sites.

Insects

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of the populations of the  (a) pea mining bee (andrena lathyri),  (b) dark guest ant (anergates atratulus),  (c) short haired bumble bee (bombus subterraneus),  (d) New Forest cicada (cicadetta montana),  (e) Ivell's sea anemone (Edwardsia ivelli),  (f) black-backed meadow ant (formica pratensis),  (g) nomad errans-a cuckoo bee,  (h) stenus palposus-a rove beetle and  (i) Essex emerald (thetida smaragdaria maritima) in England; and if he will make a statement.

Joan Ruddock: The nine species listed have recently been assessed as part of the Biodiversity Action Planning process. Population estimates for eight of the species are at, or close to, zero. Estimates for the dark guest ant,  Anergates atratulus are hard to make: the species is difficult to find and it is likely to be a naturally rare species.

Landfill Tax

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the forecast change in landfill tax receipts is for each of the next three years.

Angela Eagle: I have been asked to reply.
	Forecast landfill tax receipts for 2007-08 and 2008-09 are published in table B8 of the 2007 pre-Budget report and Comprehensive Spending Review available at:
	http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/media/F/9/pbr_csr07_annexb_305.pdf

Landfill: Methane

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate his Department has made of the percentage of the UK's renewable energy emissions that comes from using methane collected from landfill sites as an energy source.

Phil Woolas: In 2006, landfill gas contributed approximately 20 per cent. of the carbon dioxide emissions saved by renewable energy sources. In the absence of these renewable sources, the electricity and heat they could have produced would have been provided by burning fossil fuels. Furthermore, collection of methane at landfill sites, reduced total UK emissions of methane by some 50 per cent. About 45 per cent. of the methane collected at landfills was utilised for electricity or heat generation, with the remainder being flared.

Livestock: Antibiotics

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of the incidence of the use of antibiotics as a surrogate for growth promoters in livestock; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan R Shaw: Following the ban of antimicrobial growth promoters by the EU in 2006, the Veterinary Medicines Directorate is not aware of any evidence to suggest that farmers are using antibiotics as replacements for antimicrobial growth promoters.

Livestock: Antibiotics

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will commission a review of the extent of the prophylactic use of antibiotics in livestock production; and if he will prohibit the advertising of prescription-only antibiotics directly to farmers.

Jonathan R Shaw: Farm animal veterinary medicine is largely about treating populations of animals in herds or flocks. Antimicrobials are used where a number of animals are already suffering disease both to treat these animals and to prevent the disease from spreading throughout the group.
	The sales of antimicrobials for use in animals are reported annually by the Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD) and the report includes antimicrobial medicines designed to be used in feed or in water for the purposes above. The report also includes the sales of coccidiostats which are zootechnical feed additives used exclusively to prevent the common coccidia parasite in poultry. These are the only antimicrobials used in advance of disease occurring (prophylaxis). In 2005 390 tonnes of active ingredients of medicinal antimicrobials for use in food producing animals and 231 tonnes of coccidiostats were sold.
	All antimicrobials currently on the market have the distribution category of Prescription Only Medicine-Veterinarian (POM-V). The Veterinary Medicines Regulations 2007 SI 2539 allows veterinary medicinal products classified as POM-V to be advertised to veterinary surgeons and nurses, pharmacists and professional keepers of animals. The Veterinary Medicines Directorate classifies a professional keeper of animals as someone whose main source of income is derived from keeping animals; this includes farmers. There are currently no plans to change this.

Livestock: Botulism

Mark Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  how many cases of botulism have been reported in livestock in 2007; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what steps he has taken to reduce the risk of botulism being transferred to livestock from poultry waste.

Jonathan R Shaw: According to the latest available figures, there have been 30 suspected botulism incidents in cattle and sheep in England and Wales in 2007 (27 in cattle and three in sheep). This figure includes some clusters which have been recorded as a single incident or outbreak where more than one premises has been affected.
	The Animal By-Products Regulation (Regulation (EC) No. 1774/2002) is enforced through the Animal By-Products Regulations 2005 in England, and equivalent legislation in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The regulation prohibits the composting of poultry carcases or the spreading of litter or manure containing carcase material.
	DEFRA has recommended good practice in litter management and disposal, including expansion of biosecurity messages to broiler farmers to highlight the risks of disease transmission caused by poor carcase removal practices. Advice and guidance is available via the Veterinary Laboratory Agency (VLA) and DEFRA websites.
	Veterinary practitioners have been alerted to the issue via letters to the Veterinary Record from the VLA/DEFRA, and the issue has recently been included in a British Cattle Veterinary Association newsletter. Advice on the risks of botulism associated with broiler litter and how these risks may be reduced has also been an agenda item in meetings between the VLA and farmers. One such meeting was held in North Derbyshire on 9 October 2007.
	The Advisory Committee on the Microbiological Safety of Food (ACMSF) set up a sub-group to look at the issue of botulism in cattle, and published a report in December 2006. DEFRA acted as an assessor on this group, and the report endorsed the current DEFRA/VLA guidance on the disposal of poultry litter. A further ACMSF sub-group, which also includes a DEFRA assessor, is now looking at the issue with respect to sheep and goats. It will publish its findings in due course.

Nature Conservation: Scotland

Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether he has had discussions with the Scottish Executive on preserving and developing wildlife nature reserves in Scotland.

Joan Ruddock: This month, I am meeting Michael Russell, Minister for Environment in Scotland, to discuss a range of wildlife-related matters. However, the development of wildlife nature reserves in Scotland is a devolved matter and my Department has not discussed the issue with the Scottish Executive.

Pat De Foie Gras

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will ban the importation of foie gras under article 30 of the treaty of Rome, with particular reference to  (a) public morality and  (b) the protection of health and life of animals; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan R Shaw: The free movement of goods is a well established principle in Community law and is enshrined in Part III, Title I of the treaty establishing the European Community (TEC). A unilateral ban by the UK on the import of foie gras would contravene the provisions of the TEC and would result in proceedings being brought against us before the European Court of Justice.
	In addition, World Trade Organisation (WTO) rules do not allow us to ban imports on the grounds of the welfare standards applying in third countries. Although it may be possible to use the public morality exemption to justify restrictions on the importation of products in some circumstances, it is unlikely that reliance on this exemption would be successful in this instance.
	The potential scope of this exemption is currently being considered in relation to other policy areas. This may result in the WTO Dispute Settlement Panel considering the interface between public morality and animal welfare concerns.

Pirbright Laboratory: Standards

Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the Answer of 13 September 2007,  Official Report, column 2221W, on Pirbright Laboratory standards, what issues were identified; what progress has been made in addressing those issues; whether issues identified in 2006 had been previously identified; and whether recommendations made in previous reports had been implemented.

Jonathan R Shaw: The December 2006 inspection reviewed a number of previously identified issues including aspects of management, site security, ventilation, waste handling, storage and transport of pathogens and documentation. No major or new biosecurity issues were identified during the 2006 inspection.
	Where any particular biosecurity issues are identified in an inspection, the laboratory is required to submit action plans addressing these issues and, once agreed, implement the plans. Subsequent to the outbreaks of foot and mouth disease in 2007, and the independent reviews carried out by Professor Spratt and the Health and Safety Executive, substantial progress has been made by IAH with the implementation of a variety of measures to strengthen biosecurity.

Poultry: Animal Welfare

Chris Mullin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans he has to revise the Government's policy on the EU ban on battery cages from 2012; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan R Shaw: Council Directive 99/74/EC prohibits the use of conventional (battery) cages from 1 January 2012. The directive has been transposed into domestic legislation and includes the deadline for the ban on these cages. DEFRA policy remains that there should be no conventional cages from 2012.

River Severn: Shrewsbury

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the dredging of the River Severn in Shrewsbury.

Phil Woolas: The Environment Agency assessed whether dredging the River Severn would reduce flood risk in Shrewsbury using hydraulic computer models as part of their Fluvial Flood Risk Management Strategy in 2006, and in designs for the Frankwell Flood Alleviation Scheme in 2001.
	The agency concluded that dredging the River Severn would achieve no significant reduction in flood risk but it would have considerable environmental impact and involve very high annual costs.

Seas and Oceans: Environment Protection

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions he has had with the Scottish Executive on the Draft Marine Bill; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan R Shaw: DEFRA officials and I have regular discussions with the Scottish Executive on matters of mutual interest including the Marine Bill. I recently met with Richard Lochhead MSP, Scottish Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and the Environment to discuss a number of issues including the Marine Bill.
	UK Government want to deliver coherent arrangements across the whole of the UK marine area. The Scottish Executive has announced their intention to bring forward a Scottish Marine Bill. We will continue to discuss marine policy issues with the Scottish Executive to promote a joined up and consistent approach across both Bills.

Severn Trent Water: Billing

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will take steps to prevent Severn Trent Water from back-dating bills for five years.

Phil Woolas: Ofwat is the economic regulator for water in England and Wales. It approves water companies(') charges schemes each year, including their policies on back-dating bills.
	Ofwat expects water companies to make every effort to charge accurately and to adopt customer friendly policies when assessing whether to back-date individual bills.
	Water companies cannot bring an action to recover charges more than six years after they become due (section 9 of the Limitation Act 1980).

Trees: Diseases

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will make a statement on the spread of  Cameraria  o hridella.

Joan Ruddock: Horse chestnut leaf miner ( Cameraria ohridella) was first discovered in Wimbledon in 2002 and has since continued to spread northwards, into south Yorkshire and Cheshire, eastwards almost throughout East Anglia, and it has reached the border counties of Wales.
	We are continuing to monitor its movement, and invite the public to report any sightings to us to help us do this. Sightings can be reported to the entomology branch of Forest Research on 01420 22255.
	The larvae of  Cameraria ohridella devour the leaves, but do not kill the trees, nor do they appear to have any long-term effect on tree health or vitality. Although trees appear unsightly during infestation, they will leaf-out and flower normally in the following year.
	There are no effective control mechanisms available, especially where the trees occur together in large numbers, such as in parks and woodland. Research into control continues and gardeners can help to protect their horse chestnut trees by sweeping up and disposing of autumn leaves, which destroys the over-wintering pupae.

Wastes: Renewable Energy

Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans he has to increase awareness of the potential benefits of  (a) waste incineration and  (b) energy from waste technologies; and if he will make a statement.

Joan Ruddock: holding answer 17 October 2007
	Generating energy from waste that cannot be prevented, reused or recycled has both energy and waste policy benefits.
	Waste Strategy 2007, which was published on 24 May this year, sets out the Government's policy on waste incineration and energy from waste. The Strategy places a strong emphasis on links with energy policy and the need to consider the overall impacts of managing waste, including the greenhouse gas emissions generated by various waste management options. The biodegradable fraction of waste is a renewable resource and energy generated either directly from waste, or through the use of a refuse derived fuel, increases our energy security.
	Anaerobic digestion, in particular, has significant carbon and energy benefits over other options for managing food waste. We are therefore encouraging local authorities and businesses to consider whether anaerobic digestion has a role to play in meeting their objectives. The Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) will continue to promote this technology for treating commercial and municipal food waste through its capital support programme and work with the Carbon Trust and the food industry.
	As mentioned in the Waste Strategy 2007, DEFRA is also considering ways to raise public awareness of the options and issues relating to waste management infrastructure. The aim is to provide evidenced-based information which will aid public comprehension of the options. Communications activity is tentatively planned for early 2008.
	DEFRA also operates the New Technologies Demonstrator Programme to demonstrate innovative waste treatment technologies as possible alternatives to landfill. The programme aims to prove the economic, social and environmental viability of each selected technology. Each site will have a visitor centre, which will be open throughout the plant's participation in the programme. These will enable representatives from local authorities and the waste sector to learn more about the particular strengths and weaknesses of each technology. There will be a series of impartial reports, presentations and advice from experts working on behalf of the Department.

Water Charges: Eastern Region

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the average percentage change in domestic water bills has been in each local authority area in the East of England since May 1997.

Phil Woolas: Ofwat is the economic regulator for water in England and Wales. Each year, it checks to ensure that water companies' annual bills do not exceed their allowed price limits.
	Average bill information is not available at local authority level. Changes in average household bills since 1997 for companies serving the East of England including Anglian Water, Cambridge Water, Essex and Suffolk Water, Severn Trent Water and Tendring Hundred Water, are set out in the following tables (in 2007-08 prices):
	
		
			  Water and sewerage companies 
			   Anglian Water  Severn Trent Water 
			   Water  Sewerage  Total  Water  Sewerage  Total 
			 1997-98 () 163 204 367 125 144 269 
			 2007-08 () 154 191 345 141 138 279 
			 Percentage change -6 -6 -6 13 -4 4 
		
	
	
		
			  Water-only companies 
			   Cambridge Water  Essex and Suffolk Water  Tendring Hundred Water 
			 1997-98 () 135 152 188 
			 2007-08 () 111 160 161 
			 Percentage change -18 5 -14

Whales: Conservation

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans he has  (a) to update the publication Protecting Whales: A global responsibility and  (b) to distribute it in advance of next year's International Whaling Commission meeting in Chile; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan R Shaw: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office will shortly deliver an updated version of the publication 'Protecting WhalesA Global Responsibility' to host Governments to encourage more nations to join the effort to protect these species and maintain the moratorium on commercial whaling.
	The UK and its allies have taken every opportunity to try to persuade new anti-whaling countries to join the International Whaling Commission. There has been some success; eight have joined in the last three years.

Whales: Japan

Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent discussions he has had with EU Ministers on Japan's killing of whales.

Jonathan R Shaw: Whaling is not an issue on which the European Union (EU) exercises competence. As such, it is not generally a subject for discussion at meetings of EU Ministers.
	At official level we do have regular contact with other like-minded countries, including those EU countries who are, like the UK, parties to the International Convention on the Regulation of Whaling and thus members of the International Whaling Commission (IWC).
	However, there has been no formal round of discussions or correspondence since the conclusion of this year's annual meeting of the IWC in June this year.

BUSINESS, ENTERPRISE AND REGULATORY REFORM

Advantage West Midlands: Grants

Andrew Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what funding his Department provided for Advantage West Midlands to subsidise the move by Severn Trent Water plc from Birmingham to Coventry; whether the subsidising by the regional development agency (RDA) of a company's move within the region is in accordance with his Department's policy on the appropriate use of RDAs' funds; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Timms: No funding was provided by BERR to Advantage West Midlands in relation to the move by Severn Trent Water plc from Birmingham to Coventry
	Advantage West Midlands (AWM) has not provided any subsidy to Severn Trent Water plc for the company's move from Birmingham to Coventry.

Debts: Maldives

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what the debt owed to the Export Credits Guarantee Department by the Maldives was  (a) in each of the last five years and  (b) on the most recent date for which information is available; what plans he has to write off outstanding debt owed by the Maldives; what recent representations he has received on this; and if he will make a statement.

Malcolm Wicks: There are no outstanding debts owed to ECGD by the Maldives.
	ECGD has a small amount of exposure (3.9 million) in respect of a loan which is being guaranteed by ECGD, where repayments are being made to the financing bank on time. The loan relates to a contract for the upgrade of an airport.

Furniture

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform if he will consider the merits of providing support and assistance to the furniture industry to take account of recent increases in the prices paid by furniture manufacturers for materials.

Stephen Timms: Government provide a range of support through the Businesslink service to help companies from all sectors improve their competitiveness. We are also providing support to the furniture industry with funding of 1.75 million over four and a half years, from 2003 to March 2008, to establish UK First, the furniture sector industry forum to help companies in the sector to improve performance on quality, cost and delivery.

Industrial Diseases: Compensation

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many former miners' compensation claims cases are awaiting responses in relation to employment records enquiries from private mining companies; what assessment he has made of the impact of the time taken to respond to such enquiries by such companies on the time taken to conclude such claims; and if he will make a statement.

Malcolm Wicks: The Department is not able to readily identify the number of claims in which information is awaited from private mining companies in relation to employment records. Certainly, some vibration white finger claims have taken longer to reach settlement because the Department's claims handlers had to obtain employment records from co-defendants and this is sometimes a lengthy process. There are 82 small mine and 62 UK coal respiratory disease claims with wage and pension loss issues that the Department is currently unable to make offers on due to information being held by third parties. This is partially due to the lack of an agreed process between the parties. The Department will soon be proposing new protocols in an attempt to agree such a process.

Industrial Diseases: Compensation

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what progress has been made on coal mining operators and the claims handling agreement; and what steps the Government plan to take to ensure that outstanding former miners' claims are settled.

Malcolm Wicks: The number of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease claims affected by co-defendant policy issues has dropped dramatically over time due to the number of decisions implemented within the system and different parties accepting the terms of the claims handling agreement. The UK coal agreement will pave the way for another large number of claims to progress to settlement, subject to calculator development. However, issues remain outstanding with other post successor companies that bought out collieries following privatisation of British Coal. My Department is working to achieve a swift resolution.
	A large number of co-defendants have signed up to parts of the claims handling arrangement for vibration white finger claims, and a large proportion of co-defended claims have been settled. In order to resolve more complex co-defended claims a number of initiatives including 'Insurer Liaison' and 'Solicitor Liaison' programmes are in place to try to facilitate speedier progression. In addition, a co-defendant protocol has been negotiated which details the obligations of all parties involved in the progression of claims.

Industrial Diseases: Compensation

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many former miners' health compensation claims are unresolved.

Malcolm Wicks: The number of former miners' coal health compensation claims that have not yet been settled for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease claims is 114, 464 and for vibration white finger 11, 669 as at 14 October 2007.

Micro-generation

Helen Southworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what his assessment is of the role local authorities can play in increasing the use of micro-generation for supplying energy for domestic and commercial consumption.

Malcolm Wicks: The Micro-generation Strategy, published in March 2006 commits to tackling the barriers currently preventing widespread uptake of micro-generation. Local authorities have an important role to play, in taking action on their own estate and housing stock, in motivating the wider community to take action and in exercising their planning responsibilities. We have recently published an energy measures report for local authorities compiling information they can use to improve energy efficiency, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and increase the levels of micro-generation in their communities.

Ministry of Defence Police

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how much was allocated for training for the Ministry of Defence Police in each of the last five years for which figures are available; and what the projected funding is to be made available for each of the next five years.

Derek Twigg: I have been asked to reply.
	The figures allocated for training for the Ministry of Defence Police in each of the last five years are shown in the following table:
	
		
			  Financial year   million 
			 2003-04 2.565 
			 2004-05 2.923 
			 2005-06 3.327 
			 2006-07 3.541 
			 2007-08 3.755 
		
	
	The projected figures to be made available for each of the next five years are shown in the following table:
	
		
			  Financial year   million 
			 2008-09 4.134 
			 2009-10 4.320 
			 2010-11 4.511 
			 2011-12 4.673 
			 2012-13 4.802 
		
	
	The allocations include funding for training staff salaries, professional fees and external training. The figures also include the training allocation for the Ministry of Defence Guard Service, which was fully subsumed into the Ministry of Defence Police and Guarding Agency on 1 April 2004.

Nuclear Power Stations: Decommissioning

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform 
	(1)  if he will make a statement on the progress being made by the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority on the decommissioning of magnox nuclear power plants; and when he expects work to begin;
	(2)  what budget has been allocated by his Department for the decommissioning of magnox nuclear power plants.

Malcolm Wicks: holding answer 16 October 2007
	The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) has set out its plans for decommissioning of the Magnox nuclear power stations in its strategy and successive annual plans. The annual plan for 2007-08 and other documents are available on the NDA website at:
	www.nda.gov
	Progress against performance is monitored on a continuing basis. Programme Performance Updates are published each month on the NDA website.

Overseas Trade: Maldives

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what steps he  (a) has taken and  (b) plans to take to increase trade between the United Kingdom and the Maldives; how much his Department has spent on the promotion of trade between the United Kingdom and the Maldives in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement.

Gareth Thomas: UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) is the body charged with the promotion of UK Trade and Investment opportunities. UKTI do not have a presence on the Maldives nor are any UKTI financial resources specifically dedicated to the promotion of trade with the islands. No change in this position is currently envisaged.
	The British high commission in Colombo (Sri Lanka) however does handle all UK trade inquiries on a reactive basis and companies interested in trading with the islands have access to background information via the UKTI portal.

Overseas Trade: Maldives

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many officials in his Department of each grade worked on the promotion of trade between the United Kingdom and the Maldives in  (a) 1983,  (b) 1987,  (c) 1992,  (d) 1997,  (e) each year between 1998 and 2005 and  (f) at the most recent date for which figures are available.

Gareth Thomas: UK Trade and Investment (UKTI), the body charged with the promotion of UK Trade and Investment opportunities, does not maintain records relating to the past/historical allocation of staff time on the promotion of trade between the United Kingdom and the Maldives.
	There is no UKTI presence in the Maldives. Currently all trade inquiries are handled on reactive basis by the Head of Trade and Investment and the Senior Trade and Investment Advisor at the British high commission, Colombo, Sri Lanka. In the previous 12 months the number of inquiries from UK companies relating to the Maldives was five. No inquiries from organisations in the Maldives regarding UK goods and services were received for the same period.

Paedophilia

Adam Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what measures were in place before 2005 to prevent known paedophiles from opening a children's agency specialising in theatre, television and modelling; and if he will make a statement.

Patrick McFadden: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 25 July 2007,  Official Report, columns 1191W and 1192W. Under the Criminal Justice and Court Services Act 2000 it is an offence to knowingly offer work to or to employ a person in a child care position if they are disqualified from working with children either by virtue of being included on one of the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families Lists (the Protection of Children Act (PoCA) List or its equivalent in Scotland or List 99) or a disqualification order from the court. Individuals who apply or offer to work, accept work or continue to work with children in such positions will be committing a criminal offence and can face prosecution if they are disqualified from working with children.
	The extent to which those running a children's agency specialising in theatre, television and modelling would be covered by the PoCA regulations would depend on the nature of their actual work. However, if a person is deemed to be caring for children under 16 in the course of the children's work they would be in a regulated position and therefore covered by PoCA. Those running children's agencies would therefore normally be covered.
	Employment agencies are required to meet the provisions under the Employment Agencies Act 1973 and associated Conduct Regulations.
	Since 1995, the Employment Agencies Act 1973 has provided that the former DTI, now BERR, can apply to an employment tribunal for a prohibition order to ban persons found to be unsuitable for misconduct or any other satisfactory reason from running or being concerned with the running of an employment agency.

Post Office: WH Smith

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what contractual requirements relating to disability access have been placed on WH Smith as a result of the franchise agreement with the Post Office Ltd.

Patrick McFadden: The Post Office Ltd franchise agreement establishes a contractual obligation for WH Smith to comply with the requirements of Part III of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 and appropriate health and safety legislation.
	WH Smith is committed to working within the spirit of the disability discrimination legislation. To meet the requirements of the Disability Discrimination Act they carried out audits at all their sites to assess their accessibility for disabled customers and employees, and have spent around 1.5 million improving access.

Post Office: WH Smith

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform whether Post Office Ltd. will publish a disability equality scheme in relation to the proposed Crown post office transfers to W H Smith.

Patrick McFadden: Post Office Ltd. is not considered to be a public authority for the purposes of the Disability Discrimination Act and has no responsibility for producing a disability equality scheme in relation to the Crown Office franchising agreement with WH Smith. WH Smith is working with Post Office Ltd. to ensure access audits are conducted for each site and, where appropriate, reasonable adjustments will be made to ensure disabled people can continue to access post office services.

Post Office: WH Smith

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what assessment his Department has made of the  (a) health and safety,  (b) fire safety and  (c) disability discrimination legislation requirements applying to post offices located in basement W H Smith facilities.

Patrick McFadden: These are operational matters for W H Smith who are responsible for compliance with the relevant legislation requirements.

Post Office: WH Smith

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what discussions his Department has had with organisations representing older people or those with disabilities on the access implications of the proposed transfer of Crown post offices to W H Smith.

Patrick McFadden: The Department has not held such discussions. Under the code of practice agreed with Postwatch, Post Office Ltd. consults with a range of local representatives on the customer service implications of transferring the management of a Crown office to a franchise partner.

Post Office: WH Smith

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what discussions his Department has had with Post Office Ltd. on consulting older people or those with disabilities on changes to access arrangements consequent upon the transfer of Crown post office customer services to W H Smith.

Patrick McFadden: The Department has not held such discussions. Post Office Ltd. is committed, under the code of practice agreed with Postwatch, to consulting with a range of local representatives on the customer service implications of transferring the management of a Crown office to a franchise partner.

Post Office: WH Smith

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what arrangements will be in place to assist customers with special access needs in post office branches which are affected by the franchise agreement reached between Post Office Ltd. and WH Smith.

Patrick McFadden: Post Office Ltd. has given an assurance that all branches franchised to WH Smith will be compliant with the Disability Discrimination Act and that arrangements will be in place to assist customers with special access needs where the post office counter is not on the ground floor. In the event that a customer is unable to use the lift or the stairs to access the serving positionsalternative arrangements will be available to ensure that they will be served on the ground floor.

Post Office: WH Smith

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what meetings took place between his Department and Post Office Ltd. in which the franchise agreement between WH Smith and Post Office Ltd. was discussed before 19 April; and what such discussions have taken place since that date.

Patrick McFadden: The franchise agreement between Post Office Ltd. and WH Smith is a commercial matter between them. The company has kept the Department informed, as shareholder, before and after 19 April, of its plans for restoring the Crown office network to profitability.

Post Office: WH Smith

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform whether as a result of the franchise agreement reached between Post Office Ltd and WH Smith, Post Office Ltd retains responsibility under the Disability Equality Duty applied to public bodies to publish a disability equality scheme and carry out a disability equality impact assessment.

Patrick McFadden: Post Office Ltd is not considered to be a public authority for the purposes of the Disability Discrimination Act and has no responsibility for producing a disability equality scheme or carrying out disability impact assessments. WH Smith is working with Post Office Ltd to ensure access audits are conducted for each site and where appropriate reasonable adjustments will be made to ensure disabled people can continue to access post office services.

Post Office: WH Smith

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform whether his Department has had discussions with Post Office Ltd on the completion of a disability equality impact assessment as a result of the Post Office's franchise agreement with WH Smith.

Patrick McFadden: Post Office Ltd is not considered to be a public authority for the purposes of the Disability Discrimination Act and is not required to carry out disability impact assessments. WH Smith is working with Post Office Ltd to ensure access audits are conducted for each site and, where appropriate, reasonable adjustments will be made to ensure disabled people can continue to access post office services.

Post Offices: Access

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what funds Post Office Ltd has made available to improve disability access to stores and new sites to meet its obligations under the Disability Discrimination Act 2005 as a result of the franchise agreement reached between the Post Office Ltd and WH Smith.

Patrick McFadden: It is the responsibility of each post office franchisee to fund any changes needed in their stores to meet the requirements of disability discrimination legislation. To meet these requirements, WH Smith carried out audits at all their sites during 2003 to assess accessibility for disabled customers and employees. Around 1.5 million has been spent on improving access in stores and all new sites opened since 2003 to meet DDA regulations.
	Over the past four years Post Office Ltd have provided 13 million in funding to assist subpostmasters to improve their facilities to meet their obligations under the relevant DDA legislation.

Post Offices: Access

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what discussions he had with Post Office Ltd on its obligations as a public body under the Disability Discrimination Act 2005 to produce a disability equality scheme prior to 19th April; and what such discussions he has had since that date.

Patrick McFadden: Post Office Ltd is not considered to be a public authority for the purposes of the Disability Discrimination Act and has no responsibility for producing a disability equality scheme in relation to the Crown Office franchising agreement with WH Smith.

Post Offices: Access

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform whether Post Office Ltd. has an obligation under the Disability Equality Duty to publish a disability equality scheme for services which it has franchised out to another retailer.

Patrick McFadden: Post Office Ltd. does not have specific obligations under the Disability Equality Duty and is not required to publish a disability equality scheme. For the purposes of the Disability Discrimination Act 2005, the Royal Mail Group is not considered as a public authority.
	Royal Mail Group are committed to working to the spirit of existing disability legislation and disability access remains a priority for Post Office Ltd. and they are working with WH Smith to ensure that appropriate measures are taken to ensure reasonable adjustments are made and that disability discrimination legislation is complied with.

Post Offices: Closures

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many of the proposed Post Office closures so far announced in public consultations are located within retail outlets which are part of national retail chains.

Patrick McFadden: This is an operational matter for Post Office Ltd. Alan Cook, the managing director, has been asked to reply direct to the hon. Member.

Post Offices: East of England

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many sub-post offices closed in the East of England in each year since 1997, broken down by local authority area.

Patrick McFadden: This is an operational matter for Post Office Ltd. Alan Cook, the managing director, has been asked to reply direct to the hon. Member.

Post Offices: Greater London

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many post offices closed in each London constituency in each of the last five years.

Patrick McFadden: This is an operational matter for Post Office Ltd. Alan Cook, the managing director, has been asked to reply direct to the hon. Member.

Prices: Information

Mark Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform which stakeholders he has met as part of the study being carried out with HM Treasury on the economics of information pricing.

Gareth Thomas: The experts from Cambridge University commissioned to undertake the study on behalf of Government, are meeting stakeholders they consider necessary to inform their work. I have therefore not met stakeholders as part of the study into the availability and charging policy for data held by trading funds.

Prices: Information

Mark Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform when his Department's study of the economics of public sector information pricing will be completed.

Gareth Thomas: The study into the availability and charging policy of data held by trading funds that is being undertaken on behalf of Government is expected to be completed before the end of the year. The results of the study will help inform future Government policy in this area.

Renewables Obligation

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what percentage of the UK contribution to the 20 per cent. renewables obligation by 2020 he expects to be generated by decentralised renewable sources.

Malcolm Wicks: It is too early to estimate what percentage of the UK contribution to the EU 2020 Renewable Energy target will be met by any given renewable source. Once member states' contributions to the target have been agreed, we will bring forward appropriate measures to make our contribution.

Seals: Animal Products

Mark Hunter: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform pursuant to the answer of 14 June 2007,  Official Report, column 1267W, on seals: animal products, what progress has been made in the European Commission on the EU-wide ban on the import of seal products; and if he will make a statement.

Gareth Thomas: The European Commission has two studies in progress: one on the humaneness of seal hunting and the other on the issues surrounding a possible EU-wide ban on the import of seal products including its implementation and enforcement. The first study is expected to report by the end of 2007 and the second in early 2008. Once these have been completed, the Commission will consider whether to propose legislation.
	The Government believe that these studies are positive steps towards achieving an EU-wide ban on the import of certain harp and hooded seal products and will continue to make the case for an EU-wide ban as necessary.

UK Trade and Investment: Finance

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what UK's budget for 2007-08 Trade and Investment is, broken down by sector; and how many staff it employs, broken down by sector.

Gareth Thomas: The total budget for UKTI in 2007-08 is 262 million. We do not attribute our budgets at sector level, but of the 262 million budget, some 191 million is spent on trade promotion across the sectors, from Aerospace to Water as bespoke support for individual companies, and for groups of companies within particular sectors.
	UKTI is not an employer in its own right. It draws mainly upon the staff employed by one or other of its two parent Departmentsthe Foreign and Commonweath Office (FCO), and the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR). Some 2,225 full-time equivalent (FTE) people work for UKTI, mainly through the two parent Departments. We also use Government Office staff or people with business experience who are under contract to deliver UKTI services. Many front line staff work with companies across a wide range of sectors, and information on the number of staff employed on each sector is therefore not available.

Unfair Practices: Sales

Lembit �pik: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many businesses have been identified as holding bogus closing down sales in the last 12 months; and what steps have been taken against such businesses.

Gareth Thomas: Neither the Department nor the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) holds such information.
	However, under Part 8 of the Enterprise Act 2002, the OFT, and other enforcers such as local authority trading standards services, have the power to apply for an enforcement order in relation to specific breaches of consumer legislation, including the Control of Misleading Advertisements Regulations 1998, where such a breach harms the collective interests of consumers. This would include an advertisement in a shop window giving the impression that a shop is closing down.

Unfair Practices: Sales

Lembit �pik: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what assessment he has made of the likely impact of the implementation of the Unfair Commercial Practices Directive on future prosecutions or other action against bogus closing down sales.

Gareth Thomas: The Unfair Commercial Practices Directive prohibits 31 specific practices outright. These include claiming a trader is about to cease trading or move premises when he is not.
	The Directive will be implemented from April 2008 by the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations. Trading Standards Services and the Office of Fair Trading will have a duty to enforce the Regulations. This does not automatically mean that formal (civil or criminal) enforcement action will be taken in respect of each and every infringement. Instead, the duty will oblige enforcers to take steps to promote compliance by the most appropriate means, in line with their enforcement priorities and consistent with available resources.

Unsolicited Goods and Services: Telephones

Si�n James: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform 
	(1)  what regulation is available to UK households to prevent unsolicited sales telephone calls from overseas; and what estimate has been made of the number of UK companies using such sales methods;
	(2)  what  (a) complaints and  (b) representations his Department has received about telephone sales cold calling from overseas countries to UK households.

Stephen Timms: Direct marketing is a legitimate form of business communication. No estimate has been made by Government of the number of UK companies using this method of direct sales. However, companies with a UK presence are legally required not to call a telephone number which has been registered with the telephone preference service (TPS) scheme, irrespective of whether the call is made from within the UK or from outside the UK. Such companies lay themselves open to enforcement action if they breach this requirement.
	Under the Privacy and Electronic Communications (EC Directive) Regulations 2003, no one is allowed to make an unsolicited telephone sales call to a subscriber who has either previously notified the caller that they do not wish to receive such calls or who has been registered with the TPS scheme for at least 28 days. The TPS scheme is run by the Direct Marketing Association on behalf of the independent regulator, the Office of Communications (Ofcom). The Information Commissioner has responsibility for enforcement of the regulations by powers in the regulations drawn from the Data Protection Act 1998.
	Subscribers registered with the TPS and who receive an unsolicited marketing call may complain to the TPS which reports regularly to the Office of the Information Commissioner (ICO) on the complaints received. Complaints may also be made directly to the ICO.

VAT: Warley

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many VAT  (a) registrations and  (b) de-registrations there were in Warley constituency in each of the last five years.

Stephen Timms: The number of new VAT registrations and de-registrations in the Warley parliamentary constituency are shown in the table for 2001 to 2005, alongside the total number of VAT registered businesses at the start of each year. Data for registrations and de-registrations in 2006 will be published on 14 November 2007.
	
		
			  VAT registrations, de-registrations and stock of VAT registered businesses in Warley parliamentary constituency 
			  Warley parliamentary constituency  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006 
			 Registrations 180 180 165 210 195  
			 De-registrations 175 180 165 155 160  
			 Start of year stock 1,590 1,595 1,595 1,595 1,650 1,685 
			  Source:  Business start-ups and closures: VAT registrations and de-registrations 1994-2005 available at: http://stats.berr.gov.uk/ed/vat/index.htm 
		
	
	Although the number of registrations and de-registrations has fluctuated over the period, the total number of VAT registered businesses in Warley parliamentary constituency has increased from 1,590 at the start of 2001 to 1,685 in 2005, an increase of 95 (6 per cent.).
	VAT registration and de-registration data provides the only accurate indicator of the level of business start-up and closure activity at the parliamentary constituency level.
	However, VAT registrations do not capture all business activity. Businesses are unlikely to be registered if they fall below the compulsory VAT threshold, which was 60,000 at the start of 2006. Only 1.9 million out of 4.5 million UK enterprises (41 per cent.) were registered for VAT at the start of 2006.

Winfrith Nuclear Research Establishment

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform 
	(1)  what effect the time taken to decommission the Winfrith site will have on future decisions on a new generation of nuclear power stations;
	(2)  when he expects the Winfrith nuclear site to be decommissioned; and if he will make a statement.

Malcolm Wicks: holding answer 16 October 2007
	The Government have carried out a consultation on the future of nuclear power and no decisions will be taken on new nuclear power stations until the responses have been analysed and considered.
	The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) has set out its proposals for the decommissioning of Winfrith in its strategy and successive annual plans. The annual plan for 2007-08 and other documents are available on the NDA website at:
	www.nda.gov

CHILDREN, SCHOOLS AND FAMILIES

Academies

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what options his Department considered for the delivery of the academies programme other than Partnerships for Schools.

Jim Knight: The options considered for the future delivery of the procurement of academies included retaining this work within the Department, contracting out these services, developing a new non-departmental public body, and Partnerships for Schools delivering this work alongside the delivery of Building Schools for the Future.

Academies

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families which Minister took the decision to transfer the delivery of the Academies programme to Partnerships for Schools.

Jim Knight: Final ministerial agreement to implement the new procurement model for academies was given by the right hon. Ruth Kelly, the then Secretary of State for Education and Skills. This was announced in the House on 23 March 2006.

Academies

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families whether funding for the running costs of a city academy co-sponsored by a local authority is provided directly by his Department once the school is opened.

Jim Knight: Most recurrent funding for academies is provided directly by my Department; local authorities provide individually assigned resources for named pupils with special educational needs andon behalf of the Departmentalso pass on to academies certain specific grants. The identity of the sponsor or sponsors does not affect these arrangements.

Assessments: Curriculum

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what effect the introduction of Key Stage 2 tests has had on the number of hours spent teaching non-tested subjects to Key Stage 2 pupils; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: The focus on English, mathematics and science in the curriculum and assessment at Key Stage 2 reflects the importance of securing a firm grounding in these subjects to the future prospects of young people in education and the world of work.
	There is no evidence to suggest that good test results can be achieved only by narrowing the curriculum. Ofsted has noted that many schools which perform well in the tests are also delivering a broad curriculum and offering lively and inspiring teaching across all subjects.

Building Schools for the Future Programme: Sports

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much has been spent under the Building Schools for the Future programme on sports facilities.

Jim Knight: holding answer 19 October 2007
	Records of Building Schools for the Future expenditure on specific elements of local authority projects are not held centrally.
	Our delivery partner, Partnerships for Schools, is working with Sport England, the Youth Sport Trust and local authorities to ensure that physical education and sport is fully recognised in BSF projects. The strategic development of PE and Sports facilities is integral to the BSF educational vision.

Children: Disadvantaged

Graham Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families when he expects  (a) to roll out the new nurse-family partnerships and  (b) to allocate the 670 million two year provision which he announced in his recent speech in Bournemouth; and if he will make a statement.

Beverley Hughes: The Government continue to trial the family nurse partnerships in England and an increasing number of families are being enrolled in the pilot programmes. The next stage of the current pilots is being considered in the context of the recently announced spending review settlements. Further announcements will be made before the end of the year.
	'Aiming High for Young People: A Ten Year Strategy for Positive Activities' was launched on 26 July 2007. The strategy and accompanying press release detailed the outcome of the comprehensive spending review (CSR) in relation to services for young people which over the three year CSR period, 2008-09 to 2010-11 will provide an additional 184 million alongside continuing funding of 3,495 milliona total of 679 million. This will support a range of initiatives and will be allocated to a variety of delivery agents in a number of different ways ahead of the start of the next financial year. Details of local authorities' share of these additional resources will be announced as part of the Local Government finance settlement in the autumn.

Class Sizes: East of England

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what the pupil-teacher ratio was in each local education authority in the East of England at key stage  (a) 1,  (b) 2 and  (c) 3 in each year since 1997.

Jim Knight: The requested information is not available. The following table provides the pupil:teacher ratios within maintained primary and secondary schools in local authority areas within the East of England, January 1997 to 2007.
	
		
			  Pupil:Teacher ratios( 1)  in maintained schools( 2)  by local authority area in east of England 
			   1997  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007 
			  Primary( 3)
			 England 23.4 23.7 23.5 23.3 22.9 22.5 22.6 22.7 22.5 22.0 21.8 
			 East of England 23.0 23.3 23.3 23.1 22.8 22.7 22.8 22.9 22.7 22.2 22.1 
			 
			 Former Bedfordshire 23.3   
			 Bedfordshire  23.8 23.8 23.5 22.9 22.3 22.6 22.8 23.0 22.2 22.1 
			 Luton  22.7 22 6 22.3 22.9 22.7 23.5 23.5 23.4 23.6 22.8 
			 Former Cambridgeshire 24.4 24.9  
			 Cambridgeshire   25.0 24.6 24.1 23.3 23.7 23.6 23.6 22.9 22.2 
			 Peterborough   24.2 23.2 23.0 22.9 23.1 23.2 22.5 21.9 21.8 
			 Former Essex 23.0 23.5  
			 Essex   23.5 23.2 22.9 22.8 23.0 23.2 22.9 22.5 22.4 
			 Southend-on-Sea   24.0 23.4 23.5 23.0 23.3 22.8 23.0 22.2 22.1 
			 Thurrock   23.9 22.8 22.8 21.8 23.6 24.9 25.0 23.3 22.8 
			 Hertfordshire 22.9 23.0 23.0 23.2 23.0 22.8 23.0 23.0 22.5 22.4 23.2 
			 Norfolk 22.3 22.5 22.7 22.7 22.1 23.0 21.7 22.3 22.1 21.3 21.1 
			 Suffolk 22.3 22.2 22.0 22.1 22.0 21.5 21.7 21.7 21.5 21.1 20.7 
			 
			  Secondary( 3)
			 England 16.77 16.9 17.0 17.2 17.1 16.9 17.0 17.0 16.7 16.6 16.5 
			 East of England 16.6 16.7 16.9 17.2 17.4 17.5 17.5 17.7 17.5 17.3 17.2 
			 
			 Bedfordshire 17.8   
			 Bedfordshire  18.3 18.5 18.7 18.8 18.4 18.7 18.4 18.7 18.3 18.0 
			 Luton  16.7 16.9 17.3 17.9 18.0 17.9 17.7 18.5 17.8 18.6 
			 Former Cambridgeshire 17.4 17.5  
			 Cambridgeshire   18.1 18.7 18.7 18.1 18.2 18.7 18.3 18.2 18.3 
			 Peterborough   16.7 17.1 17.2 17.3 17.4 17.0 16.9 16.5 16.5 
			 Former Essex 16.6 16.7  
			 Essex   16.8 17.2 17.5 17.5 17.6 18.0 17.4 17.3 17.3 
			 Southend-on-Sea   16.4 16.9 16.8 17.2 17.3 17.7 17.9 18.2 18.2 
			 Thurrock   18.0 18.5 18.9 19.8 19.8 20.8 19.9 18.7 19.0 
			 Hertfordshire 15.9 16.1 16.3 16.6 16.7 16.8 17.0 17.1 16.8 16.7 16.4 
			 Norfolk 15.7 16.1 16.2 16.6 16.9 17.5 17.1 17.3 17.6 17.0 17.2 
			 Suffolk 16.6 16.5 16.6 16.9 17.1 16.9 16.9 17.2 17.0 17.2 17.0 
			 (1) The PTRs for each of LA maintained primary and secondary schools relate FTE pupil numbers in these schools to FTE qualified teacher numbers in these schools, from the School Census. The School Census includes teachers normally employed, within schools, in the survey week, (2) Excludes CTCs and academies. (3) Includes middle schools as deemed.  Source: School Census

Class Sizes: East of England

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what the average  (a) middle school and  (b) upper school class size was in each constituency in the East of England in each year since 1997.

Jim Knight: The available information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Curriculum: Citizenship

David Mundell: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what discussions he has had with  (a) the Secretary of State for Scotland and  (b) his counterpart in the Scottish Executive on delivery of a UK-wide (i) curriculum for citizenship education and (ii) Who do we think we are? week in schools.

Jim Knight: DCSF Ministers meet regularly with Scottish counterparts to discuss a range of issues. There have been discussions at official level about the Citizenship curriculum. Plans for the Who do we think we are? week are in their initial stages.

Departments: Public Participation

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many citizens' juries have been arranged by his Department since June 2007; which organisations were commissioned to conduct each citizens' jury; and what the estimated cost is of each exercise.

Kevin Brennan: The Department for Children, Schools and Families has conducted five citizens' juries since June 2007. Opinion Leader Research were appointed to facilitate the events which took the form of deliberative debates. The cost for the first jury in Bristol was 57,047 including VAT. The total costs for the four deliberative debates in London, Leeds, Portsmouth and Birmingham was 467,704 including VAT.

Education: Finance

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families for what reasons the national basic need allocation of 400 million has not been increased since 1995.

Jim Knight: holding answer 19 October 2007
	The national basic need allocation should be looked at in the context of our total schools capital spending programmes. This year, capital investment has risen to 6.4 billion, and is planned to rise to 8.2 billion by 2010-11. Further information on capital allocations for the period 2008-09 to 2010-11 is set out in my statement of 10 October.
	The Basic Need programme is not ring-fenced, and forms part of local authorities' single capital pot. Local authorities can add their basic need allocation to the other devolved allocations mentioned in my statement, including modernisation. They will also usually have their own resources which can be used to both upgrade existing facilities and to expand where necessary.
	In addition to Basic Need, Building Schools for the Future, the Academies programme, Primary Capital programme and the Learning and Skills Council's 16-19 fund, also support new pupil places.
	This balance of programmes will enable local authorities to improve schools across the country and provide extra places where required.

Education: Milton Keynes

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families if he will publish the minutes of the meeting held between the Secretary of State for Education and the delegation from Milton Keynes held on 19 June.

Jim Knight: The Secretary of State for Education and Skills met a delegation from Milton Keynes on 19 June to discuss school funding. No formal minutes of the meeting exist.

Education: Milton Keynes

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what the basic need capital allocations are for Milton Keynes Unitary Authority for  (a) 2008-09 and  (b) 2010-11; and what they were for the previous two allocation periods.

Jim Knight: holding answer 19 October 2007
	The basic need capital allocations for Milton Keynes unitary authority for the periods 2003-04 to 2010-11 are set out in the following table, together with total capital allocations to the local authority and its schools for this period.
	
		
			   million 
			  Description  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09  2009-10  2010-11 
			 Basic need 12.6 5.8 17.2 31.4 32.6 10.1 10.1 10.1 
			 Other allocations 16.5 33.3 13.6 21.1 9.8 9.9 13.6 17.4 
			 Total 29.1 39.1 30.8 52.5 42.4 20.0 23.7 27.5 
		
	
	Total allocations for the period 2008-09 to 2010-11 also include the new primary programme, the new extended schools programme, and the ICT harnessing technology grant.
	The basic need budget is allocated to local authorities on the basis of the relative need of each. Relative need is calculated on the number of existing pupil numbers and on the forecast increase in pupil numbers as supplied by local authorities. The exceptionally large allocation of basic need in 2006-07 and 2007-08 was due to (a) forecast growth figures submitted by Milton Keynes and (b) relatively low demand in this period from other local authorities.
	Milton Keynes will have the opportunity to bid for more basic need in the spending review period 2008-09 to 2010-11 through the basic need safety valve mechanism, if it can demonstrate exceptional growth. It can also apply for funding for new sixth-form places to the Learning and Skills Council. It should also supplement departmental allocations from sources available locally such as section 106 planning gain capital receipts, and prudential borrowing.

Heartsease School Norwich

Ian Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much has been spent on consultation exercises carried out by  (a) Cambridge Education Associates and  (b) Norfolk county council on the Heartsease school closure.

Jim Knight: The Department does not collect information on expenditure incurred by local authorities during the consultation or publication stages of proposals for changes to local school organisation, including school closures.
	The consultation conducted by Cambridge Education on behalf of the Department was not on the Heartsease school closure, but on the proposals for a new academy. The amount expended on this non statutory consultation was 43,363 plus VAT. This formed part of the overall budget for the feasibility study, details of which were provided in answer to the hon. Member's previous question, No.139086.

Nursery Schools

Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 25 June 2007,  Official Report, columns 1-5WS, on schools, early years and 14-16 funding (2008-2011), for what reasons local authority assessments of the cost of delivering free early years entitlement in the private and voluntary sector will be carried out; what use will be made of the results of these assessments; and when he plans to publish the results.

Beverley Hughes: Local authority assessments on the cost of delivering the free early years entitlement will be carried out as part of a series of changes to how local authorities fund the free entitlement between now and 2011. We expect each local authority to analyse the cost of delivering the free entitlement in private, voluntary and independent settings, in the run-up to agreeing local budgets for April 2008 onwards. Schools Forums will need to consider this information as part of their budget process. It is therefore for local authorities to decide if they wish to publish the information.

Roads: Safety

Mark Hunter: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  what recent representations he has received on introducing road safety as a compulsory part of the national curriculum; and whether this issue is being reviewed;
	(2)  whether there are any plans to introduce road safety as a compulsory part of the national curriculum; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: holding answer 19 October 2007
	The Department has in 2007 received no specific representations on introducing road safety as a compulsory part of the National Curriculum.
	The secondary school curriculum has been reviewed this year by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority. The revised curriculum, to be phased in from September 2008, includes new programmes of study for Personal Social Health and Economic Education. There is scope to cover road safety through the key concept of risk where pupils are taught that the
	'ability to recognise, assess and manage risk is essential to physical safety'.
	The Department's Safety Education: Guidance for schools advises how schools can deliver safety education, which would include road safety education, within the framework for Personal, Social and Health Education. Beyond that it also highlights how other parts of the national curriculum can be used to develop children's ability to assess and control risks to themselves and others.
	In view of the curriculum review, we do not plan to review our position on making road safety a compulsory part of the national curriculum. We will continue to work with the Department for Transport and others on ways to support the effective delivery of safety education within the curriculum.

Runaway Children: Greater London

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many children ran away from their homes in each London borough in each of the last 10 years; and how many have subsequently returned home.

Kevin Brennan: Statistics on the numbers of all children who are reported as missing are not collected centrally. The Children's Society estimates that each year in the UK 100,000 children run away or are forced to leave home to escape problems.
	A new national indicator on young people who have run away from their homes or care overnight is included in the national indicators that will underpin the new performance framework for local authorities. This was published on 11 October 2007.
	We are considering a number of different options to gather data on children and young people who run away in connection with the new indicator, working closely with the Home Office, the police, local authorities and other relevant agencies.
	The Home Office has been working with the Association of Chief Police Officers and Missing People (the former National Missing Persons Helpline) to establish joint working arrangements to improve the recording, sharing and exchange of information, to improve the way in which missing persons are dealt with, and to inform our understanding of the problem in order to develop strategies to address it. Part of this work includes establishment of a comprehensive national police database of missing and unidentified people reported either to the police or Missing People, which the National Policing Improvement Agency is taking forward.

Schools: Shropshire

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much was allocated to schools in 2006 in Shropshire Local Education Authority area.

Jim Knight: The Normanton area falls within the Wakefield local authority and the information supplied is the level of funding which applies to all of Wakefield. At the start of the 2006-07 financial year, Wakefield local authority allocated 183 million (182,947,594) of revenue funding to its maintained nursery, primary, secondary and special schools. This comprises of the Total Budget Share plus any School Standards Grant, School Development Grant, Other Standards Fund Allocation, Devolved School Meals Grant, Targeted School Meals Grant, Threshold and Performance Pay and Support for Schools in Financial Difficulty allocated to the school at the start of the 2006-07 financial year. This does not include any capital funding allocated to schools.

Schools: Transport

Mark Hunter: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families who is responsible for monitoring the implementation of school travel plans; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: holding answer 19 October 2007
	Since 2003, the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) and the Department for Transport (DfT) have worked together on the 'Travelling to School Initiative' (TTSI). The initiative has sought to increase the proportion of pupils travelling to school sustainably (walking, cycling, on the bus) by helping schools to develop School Travel Plans identifying what can be done in each school, for each pupil, to support sustainable travel.
	Once completed. School Travel Plans are quality assured against criteria approved by the TTSI Project Board. The board monitor the quality and implementation of School Travel Plans, utilising a network of Regional and School Travel Advisers. DCSF and DfT Jointly fund local authority based School Travel Advisers who help schools carry out surveys and prepare plans.

Schools: Transport

Mark Hunter: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many and what percentage of schools have school travel plans in place.

Jim Knight: holding answer 19 October 2007
	At 31 March 2007, 14,063 schools (56 per cent.) had approved school travel plans in place.

Sports: Training

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many specialist sports colleges have been established.

Jim Knight: There are 435 specialist sports colleges. 370 schools with sport as its main specialism, 25 schools with sport as part of a combined specialism, 26 schools which have chosen sport as a second specialism, and a further 14 academies which have sport as their focus.

JUSTICE

Deaths in Custody

David Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many juveniles died in custody as a result of  (a) natural causes,  (b) self-harm,  (c) accidents and  (d) violence committed by a third party in each year since 1997.

David Hanson: Information in respect of deaths in prison custody of prisoners under the age of 18 is provided in the following table:
	
		
			  Juvenile deaths in custody (all male) 
			  Classification  1997  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006 
			 Other non- natural (inc. accidents)  1  1   
			 Homicide  1 
			 Natural causes   
			 Self-inflicted 1 3 2 3 3 2  1 2  
		
	
	Concerning 2007: To 17 October there here have been no deaths of prisoners aged under 18please note that while the table shows no deaths resulting from accidents, one self-inflicted death from 2001 and one from 2002, both involving hanging, had inquest findings of accident (inquest findings from 2005 still awaited).

Departments: Road Traffic Offences

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many fixed penalty tickets were incurred by vehicles within the purview of his Department in the last year for which figures are available; and what the total cost was.

Maria Eagle: Since the Ministry of Justice was only formed on 9 May 2007, my response refers to the former Department for Constitutional Affairs (DCA) and those bodies which were formerly part of the Home Office which are now part of the new Department. I also refer the hon. Member to the response provided by the Department for Transport in respect of vehicles provided by GCDA.
	The policy across the Ministry of Justice is that responsibility for payment of fixed penalty tickets rests with the driver of the vehicle. Only certain fixed penalty tickets are notified to the Department as registered owners of the vehicle. Those records show that for the financial year 2006-07, which is the most recent year for which figures were available, 400 penalty tickets were issued, the value of those tickets was 8,373.

Departments: Secondment

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many staff are seconded to his Department from outside government; from which outside body each has been seconded; and what the length is of each secondment.

Maria Eagle: The information requested for Ministry of Justice headquarters, National Offender Management Service, the Office for Criminal Justice Reform and Her Majesty's Prison Service is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. However, no employees at Her Majesty's Land Registry and the National Archives are seconded from outside Government.

Electoral Register: Scotland

Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps he is taking to ensure that returning officers are maximising participation in the compilation of electoral registers in Scotland.

Bridget Prentice: Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) are responsible for compiling electoral registers in Scotland. Section 9 of the Electoral Administration Act 2006 (EAA 2006), sets out the necessary steps that all EROs must follow to ensure that eligible electors are registered to vote.
	These steps include sending the canvass form more than once to any address, conducting house to house inquiries and making contact by such other means as appropriate, EROs will adopt an approach, which is appropriate to local circumstances, within the context of the necessary steps.
	Section 67 of the EAA 2006 allows the Electoral Commission (EC) to set and monitor performance standards for electoral services. During September 2007, the EC published a set of electoral registration indicators. EROs will provide data against these indicators following completion of the 2007 annual canvass and the EC will publish its first assessment of the data by April 2008. This should help to provide a picture of the activities undertaken by EROs to maximise participation in their areas.

Police Custody: Wales

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  what the average cost per prisoner night was of holding prisoners overnight in facilities in Cardiff court buildings since the start of 2007; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  how many prisoners have been held overnight in facilities in Cardiff court buildings in 2007; and if he will make a statement.

David Hanson: Court cell places are readied for use on a stand-by basis as a measure of last resort to help ensure that exceptional population pressures can be managed safely and securely. A total of 26,324.32 (excluding VAT) has been paid to our contractors to make places available in court cells in Cardiff between 11 June and 2 July.
	This provided for the availability of 10 places over a period of 21 nights. Eight prisoners were held in court cells in Cardiff on the night of 11/12 June. This is the only occasion on which prisoners were held overnight in court cells in Cardiff so far this year.

Prisoners

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  where women prisoners from North Wales have served their sentence in each of the last three years for which figures are available;
	(2)  where prisoners sentenced in courts in North Wales to terms of imprisonment served their sentence in each of the last three years for which figures are available.

David Hanson: Prisoners serve their sentences at a variety of establishments according to their sentence plan. It is not possible to identify all such locations without incurring disproportionate cost.
	However, as at 19 September 2007, the following table applies:
	
		
			  Location of sentenced females originating from North Wales in prison establishments in England 
			  Prison  
			 Styal 16 
			 Drake Hall 7 
			 Low Newton 3 
			 Askham Grange 2 
			 New Hall 2 
			 Peterborough 2 
			 Total 32

Prisoners

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what proportion of prisoners housed in Wales had home addresses in other parts of the United Kingdom immediately prior to their imprisonment in each of the last three years for which figures are available.

David Hanson: The following table shows the estimated percentage of prisoners held in prisons in Wales who have a home address in other parts of the United Kingdom in September 2005, 2006 and 2007.
	Where no home address is listed for a prisoner the committal court is used as a proxy address.
	
		
			   Percentage of prisoners held in prisons in Wales who have a home address in other parts of the United Kingdom 
			 2005 23 
			 2006 20 
			 2007 18

Prisoner Transfers: Young People

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many young offenders attached to Welsh young offending teams were transferred between secure accommodation units during their sentence  (a) in each of the last 12 months and  (b) in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

David Hanson: The data requested is not collected centrally and could not be obtained without disproportionate cost, as it would be necessary to collate and analyse all transfer records for the periods in question and to identify which youth offending team area each young person was attached to.

Prisoners: Drugs

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what percentage of the prison population is undergoing treatment for drug addiction.

David Hanson: The table provides an estimate of the percentage of all those received into prison in 2005-06 who underwent drug treatment.
	These figures must be seen in context. Around 55 per cent. of those received into prison report a serious drug problem, with 80 per cent. reporting some misuse in the year prior to prison. Of those, not all will need certain types of treatment, some do not engage in treatment and many are not in prison long enough to benefit. Drug treatment is delivered in accordance with identified need.
	A comprehensive drug treatment framework is in place: (i) clinical services (maintenance-prescribing and/or detoxification programmes), available in all local and remand prisons; (ii) CARATs (Counselling, Assessment, Referral, Advice and Through-care services), provided in all prisons: and (iii) 116 drug rehabilitation programmes running across the estate (of which 42 are the Short Duration Programme (SDP), designed primarily for those spending only a short period in custody).
	
		
			  Intervention  2005-06  Percentage of prison population undergoing drug treatment based o n 2005 reception figures of 132, 058 
			 Clinical services entrants to maintenance- prescribing/ detoxification programmes 53,773 40.7 
			 CARATs-initial assessments (1)74,720 56.6 
			 Drug rehabilitation programmes-entrants 10,743 8.1 
			 (1) Of which 8,709 juvenile element.  Notes: 1. Prison reception figures are available for the calendar year of 2005, in comparison the prison drug treatment figures are available for the financial year of 2005-06. The two figures are not a direct match and must therefore be treated with a degree of caution. 2. Individual prisoners may engage in more than one type of treatment.

Prisoners: Foreigners

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many  (a) non-UK nationals and  (b) non-EU nationals there are in prisons in England and Wales.

David Hanson: At the end of June 2007 there were 11,097 foreign nationals in all prison establishments in England and Wales. Of this total, there were 8,638 non-EU nationals.
	These data were published in June's monthly population in custody report on the Ministry of Justice website.
	These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems, which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.

Prisoners: Restraint Techniques

David Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what physical restraint techniques are permitted for use on adult prisoners.

David Hanson: The physical restraint techniques permitted for use on adult prisoners are control and restraint techniques (C and R). These involve a variety of defensive and disarming techniques ranging from simple breakaway techniques through to defensive strikes and defence against improvised weapons and firearms. For reasons of security the Prison Service does not disclose details of the individual techniques used in C and R.

Prisoners: Restraint Techniques

David Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether the nose distraction technique has been approved for use on adult prisoners.

David Hanson: The nose distraction technique has been authorised for use on adult prisoners. As with all authorised control and restraint techniques it is authorised for use only by trained staff on violent or refractory prisoners.

Prisons: Greater London

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people are in prison in the Greater London area; and what the capacity of Greater London prisons is.

David Hanson: The following table shows the numbers of prisoners detained in and the operational capacity of each prison establishment in the Greater London area on 31 August 2007.
	
		
			   Operational capacity  Population( 1) 
			 Belmarsh 918 920 
			 Brixton 798 807 
			 Feltham 764 613 
			 Holloway 501 488 
			 Latchmere House 207 196 
			 Pentonville 1,152 1,145 
			 Wandsworth 1,475 1,482 
			 Wormwood Scrubs 1,256 1,262 
			 Total 7,071 6,913 
			 (1 )The reported population figure may be higher than the operational capacity as it may include prisoners on authorised absence and not held in the prison overnight. 
		
	
	These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems, which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.

Prisons: Labour Turnover

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many and what proportion of staff in prisons resigned from each prison establishment in each year since 2001; and if he will make a statement.

David Hanson: Information on the number of staff who resigned from each prison establishment and the proportion of total staff this represented in each year since 2001-02 is contained in the following tables.
	
		
			  Number and proportion of all staff resigning 2001-02 to 2006-07 
			   Public Sector 
			   Resignations  Percentage of staff 
			  Establishment  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07 
			 Acklington 8 14 13 14 14 13 2 4 3 3 3 3 
			 Albany 13 5 10 10 7 11 5 2 3 3 2 3 
			 Ashwell 19 16 22 27 24 27 9 7 8 10 9 9 
			 Askham Grange 9 5 6 5 8 4 11 6 8 6 9 4 
			 Aylesbury 21 13 15 16 15 15 7 4 4 5 4 4 
			 Bedford 36 28 11 13 13 20 15 11 4 5 5 8 
			 Belmarsh 51 43 32 27 22 21 6 5 4 3 2 2 
			 Birmingham 18 17 40 37 34 34 4 4 7 5 4 4 
			 Blakenhurst 18 26 37 37 44 24  9 12 9 10 5 
			 Blantyre House 2 3 4 0 3 3 3 4 5 0 4 4 
			 Blundeston 10 10 8 11 16 18 4 4 3 4 5 6 
			 Brinsford 16 21 14 16 7 17 4 5 3 4 2 4 
			 Bristol 26 16 24 20 35 18 5 3 5 4 7 4 
			 Brixton 33 29 29 31 28 18 7 6 8 8 7 4 
			 Brockhill 15 13 9 19 9 10 9 8 5 9 5 6 
			 Buckley Hall 15 6 11 13 16 9 8 3 5 5 7 4 
			 Bullingdon 44 30 27 24 33 27 11 7 7 6 7 6 
			 Bullwood Hall 10 10 13 13 17 19 7 6 8 7 9 11 
			 Camp Hill 18 10 15 14 10 15 7 4 5 5 3 5 
			 Canterbury 9 5 14 7 15 12 5 3 7 4 7 6 
			 Cardiff 7 13 15 22 20 25 2 3 4 5 4 5 
			 Castington 16 12 10 14 16 7 5 3 3 4 4 2 
			 Channings Wood 5 19 25 11 17 13 2 6 7 3 5 4 
			 Chelmsford 15 20 26 26 25 29 5 6 8 8 7 8 
			 Coldingley 11 7 6 10 6 9 5 3 3 5 3 4 
			 Cookham Wood 7 8 10 11 17 12 7 9 10 10 13 8 
			 Dartmoor 8 11 17 18 18 16 2 3 5 5 5 4 
			 Deerbolt 10 21 13 23 15 11 4 7 4 7 4 3 
			 Dorchester 7 6 5 13 6 6 4 4 3 7 3 3 
			 Dover 6 6 4 6 8 7 3 3 2 2 3 3 
			 Downview 11 15 14 9 10 7 5 9 7 4 4 3 
			 Drake Hall 8 19 21 15 9 14 5 10 11 7 5 7 
			 Durham 9 17 15 12 17 23 1 2 2 2 3 4 
			 East Sutton Park 6 8 7 6 11 7 10 13 12 8 15 11 
			 Eastwood Park 18 31 22 27 28 18 8 13 9 11 11 7 
			 Edmunds Hill 3 8 22 16 15 28  6 14 7 7 11 
			 Elmley 32 23 28 29 27 16 7 5 6 6 6 3 
			 Erlestoke 13 13 28 20 12 16 7 7 13 8 5 7 
			 Everthorpe 3 11 12 16 16 20 1 5 5 6 5 6 
			 Exeter 20 17 15 17 17 18 6 5 5 5 5 5 
			 Featherstone 9 5 7 19 13 19 3 2 2 6 4 6 
			 Feltham 53 37 40 60 41 41 8 6 6 7 5 5 
			 Ford 7 4 10 12 11 5 4 2 5 7 6 3 
			 Foston Hall 19 12 17 18 14 18 10 7 9 8 6 8 
			 Frankland 14 15 16 19 30 19 2 2 2 2 3 2 
			 Full Sutton 18 27 37 29 32 17 2 3 5 4 4 2 
			 Garth 15 6 13 17 18 15 4 1 3 4 4 3 
			 Gartree 17 12 10 17 17 14 6 5 4 6 6 4 
			 Glen Parva 13 24 27 30 24 32 3 5 5 6 4 6 
			 Gloucester 21 21 16 18 16 11 10 10 7 8 7 5 
			 Grendon 21 10 25 19 14 17 6 3 8 6 4 5 
			 Guys Marsh 11 20 20 10 25 24 4 8 7 3 9 8 
			 Haslar 3 6 4 9 4 8 4 7 4 8 4 8 
			 Haverigg 6 8 4 14 13 21 2 3 1 5 4 6 
			 Hewell Grange 2 4 3 6 3 2 2 5 4 6 3 2 
			 High Down 52 36 27 15 24 30 9 7 5 3 5 7 
			 Highpoint 34 37 32 23 31 27 7 10 8 5 7 6 
			 Hindley 11 23 26 21 24 16 3 5 6 5 5 4 
			 Hollesley Bay 16 15 4 6 6 4 5 4 4 6 5 3 
			 Holloway 36 30 21 31 26 16 7 6 4 6 5 3 
			 Holme House 13 19 14 25 23 11 3 4 3 5 4 2 
			 Hull 9 19 26 18 26 20 2 4 4 3 4 4 
			 Huntercombe 31 29 25 21 18 27 12 11 9 7 6 9 
			 Kingston 7 3 2 9 9 3 5 2 1 6 6 2 
			 Kirkham 6 5 10 15 12 17 3 2 4 5 4 6 
			 Kirklevington Grange 5 3 6 5 4 9 6 3 6 4 3 8 
			 Lancaster 0 8 10 8 8 5 0 5 6 4 4 3 
			 Lancaster Farms 12 22 13 19 17 17 3 6 3 4 4 4 
			 Latchmere House 8 7 2 8 3 7 11 8 3 10 4 9 
			 Leeds 24 22 25 30 28 13 3 3 4 4 4 22 
			 Leicester 11 9 19 14 12 4 4 4 8 6 5 2 
			 Lewes 17 32 17 16 14 14 6 11 5 5 4 5 
			 Leyhill 8 13 16 15 12 21 4 7 7 7 5 9 
			 Lincoln 10 10 11 27 15 9 3 3 3 7 4 2 
			 Lindholme 34 30 25 31 25 27 8 7 6 7 5 5 
			 Littlehey 13 12 18 28 24 15 5 4 6 9 7 5 
			 Liverpool 10 11 23 23 22 22 1 1 3 3 3 3 
			 Long Lartin 28 30 26 29 26 18 4 4 4 4 4 3 
			 Low Newton 9 8 17 18 14 5 4 4 6 6 5 2 
			 Maidstone 16 19 30 12 17 20 5 6 9 4 5 6 
			 Manchester 24 16 21 18 30 36 3 2 3 2 4 4 
			 Moorland 21 9 9 17 9 16 4 2 1 3 1 3 
			 Morton Hall 2 17 22 23 9 11 1 12 10 10 4 5 
			 New Hall 31 24 32 22 24 22 11 8 9 6 6 5 
			 North Sea Camp 3 7 6 10 6 16 3 7 5 7 4 11 
			 Northallerton 12 5 11 16 13 12 7 4 8 11 9 8 
			 Norwich 18 18 18 28 27 17 4 4 4 6 6 4 
			 Nottingham 13 16 10 12 23 15 4 5 3 3 6 4 
			 Onley 28 33 18 30 26 30 7 8 4 7 7 8 
			 Parkhurst 11 18 13 18 9 15 3 5 4 5 2 4 
			 Pentonville 44 42 32 37 45 39 8 7 5 6 7 6 
			 Portland 8 14 9 20 17 9 3 4 3 6 5 2 
			 Preston 13 10 31 19 18 25 3 3 8 5 4 6 
			 Ranby 7 16 20 27 39 12 2 4 4 5 7 2 
			 Reading 10 22 12 6 14 15 5 11 6 3 7 7 
			 Risley 21 29 19 20 27 15 4 6 4 4 5 3 
			 Rochester 21 18 17 15 19 13 7 6 6 5 6 4 
			 Send 12 8 11 10 8 11 9 6 8 7 5 7 
			 Shepton Mallet 6 7 15 15 12 16 4 5 10 11 8 11 
			 Shrewsbury 3 10 7 8 10 6 1 5 3 4 4 3 
			 Stafford 7 10 17 7 17 12 2 3 5 2 5 3 
			 Standford Hill 7 12 15 9 12 8 3 6 6 4 5 3 
			 Stocken 14 15 17 14 19 19 5 6 6 5 6 6 
			 Stoke Heath 13 22 21 32 39 33 3 5 5 7 9 8 
			 Styal 19 21 29 22 40 25 6 6 9 6 11 7 
			 Sudbury 5 6 9 7 12 4 3 3 5 3 6 2 
			 Swaleside 25 28 16 11 15 20 6 7 4 3 4 5 
			 Swansea 9 6 14 13 13 12 4 3 6 5 5 4 
			 Swinfen Hall 8 10 14 27 26 25 3 4 6 9 6 6 
			 The Mount 32 24 27 31 28 17 10 8 8 10 9 5 
			 The Verne 12 14 10 10 8 7 4 5 3 4 3 2 
			 Thorn Cross 6 9 7 10 9 18 3 4 3 5 4 8 
			 Usk/Prescoed 7 6 14 5 4 16 4 3 7 2 2 6 
			 Wakefield 10 14 19 9 17 19 2 2 3 1 3 3 
			 Wandsworth 37 37 35 36 28 21 5 6 5 5 4 3 
			 Warren Hill (1) (1) 24 15 8 8   9 6 3 3 
			 Wayland 14 9 7 9 17 17 5 3 2 3 5 5 
			 Wealstun 13 14 16 29 21 15 4 5 5 7 5 4 
			 Weare 14 13 8 19 12 1 7 6 4 9 6 6 
			 Wellingborough 22 25 21 25 19 28 8 9 8 9 6 8 
			 Werrington 4 11 12 9 14 12 3 6 7 5 8 6 
			 Wetherby 10 18 15 24 30 18 4 7 5 8 9 6 
			 Whatton 7 7 11 16 7 19 5 5 6 8 3 5 
			 Whitemoor 35 25 26 26 37 29 5 3 3 3 5 4 
			 Winchester 17 21 18 24 17 16 5 6 5 6 4 4 
			 Woodhill 41 24 26 28 26 20 6 4 4 4 4 3 
			 Wormwood Scrubs 25 26 43 42 25 24 4 5 8 7 4 4 
			 Wymott 6 13 13 23 21 31 1 3 3 5 4 6 
			 (1) Establishment not open as a separate entity 
		
	
	
		
			  Private Sector 
			   Resignations  Percentage of staff 
			  Establishment  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07 
			 Altcourse (1) (1) (1) 49 41 33 (1) (1) (1) 11 9 7 
			 Ashfield 119 135 99 115 127 92 45 46 31 27 30 21 
			 Bronzefield(3) (2) (2) (1) (1) (1) (1) (1) (1) (1) (1) (1) (1) 
			 Doncaster 169 100 102 54 94 89 12 12 13 27 11 10 
			 Dovegate 58 183 192 149 131 106 (1) (1) (1) 33 29 26 
			 Forest Bank(3) (2) (2) (1) (1) (1) (1) (2) (2) (1) (1) (1) (1) 
			 Lowdham Grange 84 56 70 38 94 79 32 21 26 14 33 29 
			 Parc 22 43 40 24 29 32 8 17 14 8 10 11 
			 Peterborough(3) (2) (2) (2) (1) (1) (1) (2) (2) (2) (1) (1) (1) 
			 Rye Hill (1) 93 89 71 97 39 (1) 39 37 30 41 16 
			 Wolds (1) (1) (1) 20 13 17 (1) (1) (1) 12 8 8 
			 (1 )Data not available. (2 )Establishment not open as a separate entity. (3 )Resignations are not recorded separately from all leavers in these establishments.

Prisons: Visits

Chris Mullin: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps the National Offender Management Service has taken in response to representations from the Prisoners' Families Helpline as regards visit booking arrangements at HMPs Risley, Wandsworth and New Hall.

David Hanson: New Hall has undertaken a thorough review of its systems following representations from the Prisoners' Family Helpline. Booking hours have been extended and no subsequent complaints have been received since implementation on 27 September 2007.
	At Wandsworth solutions are being sought to speed up the booking process and, since 2006, both remand and convicted prisoners are able to book their own visits internally. It is also open to all visitors to book their next visit before they leave Wandsworth.
	Risley has taken measures to improve and speed up its system and introduced a second booking line, and a further member of staff to double their capacity for taking calls.

Prisons: Visits

Chris Mullin: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  if he will commission a report from the National Offender Management Service on the steps it is taking to provide an effective booking system for prison visits;
	(2)  if he will require the National Offender Management Service to set minimum standards for the prison visit bookings system; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  what information the National Offender Management Service collects on the efficacy of the visit booking arrangements at individual prisons.

David Hanson: There are no plans to commission a report from the Prison Service, which holds policy responsibility for these matters on behalf of NOMS. The Prison Service is aware of the difficulties many visitors experience when trying to book visits. The procedures and resources for booking visits are at the discretion of governors and directors in each prison, although they are required to have an efficient system in place.
	The Prison Service has been pursuing improvements to visits booking and alternative options are currently being explored. In 2006, guidelines were sent to all establishments setting out practical ways of improving visits booking, and an IT package has been made available to streamline the process. Prisons also have facilities to enable booking by e-mail to ease pressure on the telephone booking lines.
	In September 2007 the Prison Service published a revised policy about visits, which introduced a mandatory requirement for all governors and directors to ensure that any system for visits booking is efficient. In future this will be monitored through the relevant performance standard on visits.
	Information about the effectiveness of visits booking at each establishment is not collected centrally; although information about good practice at particular prisons has been disseminated as guidance to the whole estate.

Voting Rights: Age

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what recent representations he has received on the issue of lowering the national voting age to 16.

Michael Wills: I have received a number of representations concerning the voting age since July this year. This has included 12 items of correspondence, mainly from young people, and one letter from a Member of Parliament.

Young Offenders: Restraint Techniques

David Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what physical restraint techniques are permitted for use on juvenile prisoners.

David Hanson: The method of physical restraint authorised for use in young offender institutions is known as Control and Restraint. All prison officers receive initial training and annual refresher training in the use of control and restraint. The method of restraint approved for use in secure training centres is known as Physical Control in Care. Custody officers in secure training centres receive initial training and at least annual refresher training in these techniques. Secure children's homes are responsible for commissioning their own physical restraint training; these methods are not currently subject to approval by the Secretary of State.
	The Youth Justice Board's code of practice 'Managing Children and Young People's Behaviour in the Secure Estate' states that restrictive physical interventions must not be used as a punishment, or merely to secure compliance with staff instructions. Restrictive physical interventions must only be used as a last resort, when there is no alternative available or other options have been exhausted.
	On 12 July I announced a joint review of restraint issues across the under-18 secure estate. On 8 October, Andrew Williamson and Peter Smallridge were appointed as co-chairs. They have been asked to report by 4 April 2008.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Acceptable Behaviour Contracts: Cambridgeshire

James Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many  (a) acceptable behaviour contracts and  (b) parenting orders have been issued in Cambridgeshire in each year since their introduction.

Vernon Coaker: Data on acceptable behaviour contracts (ABCs) are not collected by the Home Office as they are voluntary agreements and therefore not suitable for central data collection. However, surveys of Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships (CDRPs) indicate that over 25,000 ABCs have been made since October 2003. The Home Office recently issued updated and comprehensive guidance for practitioners on the use of ABCs.
	Parenting orders are a matter for the Ministry of Justice. However I understand that they were piloted between 30 September 1998 and 31 March 2000 but data showing the breakdown by area are not available for that period. Parenting orders were commenced in England and Wales in June 2000. The Youth Justice Board (YJB) has since April 2000 collected the number of parenting orders by youth offending team (YOT) area, as reported to it by youth offending teams including education-related orders where the YOT has been involved.
	Since September 2004, the Department for Children, Schools and Families has collected data on the number of parenting orders in England related to non-attendance of children at school and exclusion from school at local authority level.
	Breakdown of the number of parenting orders issued in Cambridgeshire since their introduction is given in the table.
	
		
			  Table A: Parenting orders related to youth offending or anti-social behaviour and non attendance reported by Cambridgeshire and Peterborough YOTs: 
			   Cambridgeshire YOT  Peterborough YOT  
			   Youth offending or anti-social behaviour  Non attendance where YOT involved  Youth offending or anti-social behaviour  Non attendance where YOT involved  Total 
			 2000-01 0 0 9 0 9 
			 2001-02 1 0 21 0 22 
			 2002-03 4 0 13 o 17 
			 2003-04 1 0 11 0 12 
			 2004-05 2 (1) 23 (1) 25 
			 2005-06 13 (1) 22 (1) 35 
			 2006-07 8 (1) 23 (1) 31 
			 (1) See table B. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table B: Parenting orders made following truancy prosecution between 1 September 2004 and 13 April 2007 
			  School year  Parenting o rders for  t ruancy 
			 2004-05 2 
			 2005-06 0 
			 2006-07 0

Alcoholic Drinks: Children

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many prosecutions there were for delivering alcohol to children in  (a) England and  (b) each police force area in England in each year since the Licensing Act 2003 commenced;
	(2)  how many prosecutions there were for consumption of alcohol by children in  (a) England and  (b) each police force area in England in each year since the Licensing Act 2003 commenced;
	(3)  how many prosecutions there were for purchase of alcohol by or on behalf of children in  (a) England and  (b) each police force area in England in each year since the Licensing Act 2003 commenced;
	(4)  how many prosecutions there were in  (a) England and  (b) each police force area in England for (i) sale of alcohol to children and (ii) allowing the sale of alcohol to children in each year since the Licensing Act 2003 commenced;
	(5)  how many prosecutions there were for obtaining alcohol for a person who was drunk in  (a) England and  (b) each police force area in England in each year since the Licensing Act 2003 commenced;
	(6)  how many prosecutions there were for under-age buying of alcohol and attempting to buy alcohol under-age in  (a) England and  (b) each police force area in England in (i) 1996 and (ii) the most recent year for which figures are available;
	(7)  how many prosecutions there were for being drunk and disorderly of defendants aged 10 to 17 years in  (a) England and  (b) each police force area in England in (i) 1996 and (ii) the most recent year for which figures are available;
	(8)  how many prosecutions there were for sending a child to obtain alcohol in  (a) England and  (b) each police force area in England in each year since the Licensing Act 2003 commenced.

Vernon Coaker: From 2004 the offences of underage purchasing of alcohol by a person under 18, consumption of alcohol by a person under 18 in licensed premises, delivery of alcohol to children and being guilty of drunk and disorderly behaviour are all part of the penalty notice for disorder (PND) scheme which allow the police an option of issuing an on the spot penalty for the offence, rather than taking the matter to court. Figures show that for these offences, the following number of PNDs were issued in 2004 and 2005.
	
		
			   Number 
			  Underage purchasing of alcohol (offence added in 2005)  
			 2005 21 
			  Consumption of alcohol by person under 18 in licensed premises  
			 2004 7 
			 2005 84 
			   
			  Delivery of alcohol to children  
			 2004 20 
			 2005 209 
			   
			  Drunk and disorderly (16 and 17-year-olds)  
			 2004 1,328 
			 2005 2,354 
		
	
	Information on the number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates courts for the offences requested are provided in the following tables.
	There were no prosecutions for (i) allowing the sale of alcohol to children (ii) purchase of alcohol by or on behalf of children (iii) consumption of alcohol by children (iv) delivering alcohol to children (v) sending a child to obtain alcohol (vi) obtaining alcohol for a person who was drunk reported to my Department.
	Information for 2006 will be available in November.
	
		
			  Number of defendants aged 10-17 proceeded against at magistrates courts for selected alcohol offences by police force area, England, 1996 and 2005( 1,2) 
			Any person who in any public place is guilty, while drunk, of disorderly behaviour( 3)  Person under 18 buying or attempting to buy or consuming intoxicating liquor. Person under 18 buying or consuming intoxicating liquor in licensed premises( 4)  Person under 18 buying or attempting to buy intoxicating liquor from wholesale premises( 5) 
			   Police force area  1996  2005  1996  2005  1996  2005 
			 14101(left) Avon and Somerset 11 23 
			  Bedfordshire 7 11 
			  Cambridgeshire 3 11 
			 14316 (middle) Cheshire 50 11 
			  City of London   
			  Cleveland 67 25 
			 14354 (right) Cumbria 55 41 5
			  Derbyshire 8 25 
			  Devon and Cornwall 31 63 1  1  
			  Dorset 12 5 1
			  Durham 48 75 1
			  Essex 26 11 1
			  Gloucestershire 3 8 
			  Greater Manchester 64 25 1 1   
			  Hampshire 49 59 1 3   
			  Hertfordshire 18 29 
			  Humberside 21 17 
			  Kent 34 66  1   
			  Lancashire 45 75 
			  Leicestershire 3 1 
			  Lincolnshire 13 12 
			  Merseyside 196 72  1   
			  Metropolitan Police 46 22 
			  Norfolk 4 2 
			  North Yorkshire 12 30 3 2   
			  Northamptonshire 1 2 
			  Northumbria 186 514  3   
			  Nottinghamshire 45 16 
			  South Yorkshire 89 53 
			  Staffordshire 27 23 2
			  Suffolk 10 18 
			  Surrey 11 26 1
			  Sussex 29 37 
			  Thames Valley 54 39  1   
			  Warwickshire 19 3 
			  West Mercia 20 63 
			  West Midlands 28 19 
			  West Yorkshire 103 62 2
			  Wiltshire 18 15 
			  England 1,466 1,609 19 12 1  
			 (1) These data are provided on the principal offence basis. (2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the police forces and courts. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. (3) Offence under the Criminal Justice Act 1967 sec. 91. (4) Offence under the Licensing (Occasional Permissions) Act 1983 schedule (sec .3) para. 4(2). Licensing Act 1964 sec. 169(2). (5) Offence under the Licensing Act 1964 sec.181 A(3) as added by Licensing Act 1988 sec. 17.  Source: RDSCourt proceedings databaseOffice for Criminal Justice ReformMinistry of Justice  Our ref. IOS 351-358-07 
		
	
	
		
			  Number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates courts for sale of alcohol to person under 18, under the Licensing Act 2003 s.146, by police force area, England, 2003-05( 1,2) 
			   Police force area  2003  2004  2005 
			 14379 Cheshire   3 
			  Derbyshire   3 
			  Greater Manchester  13 9 
			  Humberside   1 
			  Lancashire  1  
			  Metropolitan Police  5  
			  Northamptonshire   4 
			  Thames Valley   1 
			  England  19 21 
			 (1) These data are provided on the principal offence basis. (2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the police forces and courts. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.  Source: RDSCourt proceedings databaseOffice for Criminal Justice ReformMinistry of Justice Our ref. IOS 351-358-07

Animal Experiments: Protests

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many animal rights extremists have been arrested over the past 12 months;
	(2)  whether there have been any arrests of animal rights extremists since May;
	(3)  what steps the Government are taking to address violence perpetrated by animal rights extremists.

Vernon Coaker: The Home Office does not formally collect data on arrests of animal rights extremists. However, through the Government strategy to eradicate the threat from animal rights extremists there has been a number of police operations, arrests and significant convictions of animal rights extremists which has led to a corresponding fall in violent activity by these extremists.
	I refer the hon. Gentleman to my reply of 10 October 2007,  Official Report, column 640W, when I reiterated our commitment to eradicating the threat of animal rights extremism which is backed up by a robust interdepartmental strategy centred on an improved law enforcement approach.

Assaults on Police

Shailesh Vara: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many assaults on  (a) police officers and  (b) police community support officers there were in each of the last 10 years, broken down by police force area.

Tony McNulty: The numbers of serious and other assaults on police officers and operational police staff are published each year in the HMIC annual report and have been given in the following table.
	These data are not available by individual rank and therefore have been provided for police officers and operational staff as a combined figure.
	
		
			  Assualts( 1)  on police officers and operational police staff 1999-2000 to 2004-05( 2,3) 
			   1999-2000  2000-01  2001-02 
			  Force  Fatal  Serious  Other  Fatal  Serious  Other  Fatal  Serious  Other 
			 Avon and Somerset 0 3 402 0 7 325 0 64 272 
			 Bedfordshire 0 0 97 0 16 109 0 18 76 
			 Cambridgeshire 0 0 160 0 2 152 0 1 117 
			 Cheshire 0 3 236 0 7 218 0 5 214 
			 City of London 0 1 43 0 0 44 0 2 60 
			 Cleveland 0 0 13 0 0 342 0 44 214 
			 Cumbria 0 1 102 0 2 83 0 3 77 
			 Derbyshire 0 5 273 0 3 229 0 0 241 
			 Devon and Cornwall 0 6 305 0 5 219 0 3 253 
			 Dorset 0 3 165 0 2 130 0 1 155 
			 Durham 0 3 218 0 0 291 0 3 301 
			 Dyfed-Powys 0 4 85 0 4 108 0 7 115 
			 Essex 0 1 169 0 2 208 0 0 225 
			 Gloucestershire 0 5 138 0 1 175 0 2 121 
			 Greater Manchester(7) 1 36 904 1 31 943 0 19 855 
			 Gwent 0 5 200 0 8 183 0 0 340 
			 Hampshire 0 29 356 0 1 373 0 5 172 
			 Hertfordshire 0 2 158 0 2 157 0 0 169 
			 Humberside 0 0 265 0 2 242 0 12 176 
			 Kent 0 12 280 0 6 276 0 2 361 
			 Lancashire(5,6) 0 45 249 0 64 254 0 57 239 
			 Leicestershire 0 0 218 0 0 236 0 0 235 
			 Lincolnshire 0 1 127 0 4 114 0 3 164 
			 Merseyside 0 23 497 0 0 119 0 0 147 
			 Metropolitan police(8) 0 0 1,391  1,438 
			 Norfolk 0 0 294 0 0 354 0 8 163 
			 Northamptonshire(4) 0  189 0  138 0  136 
			 Northumbria 0 20 493 0 29 501 0 37 501 
			 North Wales 0 0 104 0 0 106 0 0 111 
			 North Yorkshire 0 7 97 0 7 111 0 2 109 
			 Nottinghamshire 0 6 416 0 1 315 0 3 171 
			 South Wales(9)   317 0 11 394 0 0 893 
			 South Yorkshire 0 8 190 0 7 205 0 10 199 
			 Staffordshire 0 4 425 0 1 206 0 5 174 
			 Suffolk 0 0 129 0 1 126 0 4 166 
			 Surrey 0 2 138 0 8 225 0 18 157 
			 Sussex 0 5 397 0 9 388 0 7 277 
			 Thames Valley 0 1 141 0 0 288 0 5 315 
			 Warwickshire 0 3 139 0 1 150 0 4 152 
			 West Mercia 0 12 361 0 11 253 0 18 234 
			 West Midlands(5,6) 0 30 911 0 75 1,790 1 11 1,085 
			 West Yorkshire 0 9 656 0 6 693 0 6 1,015 
			 Wiltshire 0 4 104 0 13 133 0 11 101 
		
	
	
		
			   2002-03  2003-04  2004-05 
			  Force  Fatal  Serious  Other  Fatal  Serious  Other  Fatal  Serious  Other 
			 Avon and Somerset 0 0 366 0 3 490 0 0 296 
			 Bedfordshire 0 8 66 0 2 115 0 0 106 
			 Cambridgeshire 0 2 149 0 2 166 0 1 148 
			 Cheshire 0 4 348 0 13 378 0 2 337 
			 City of London 0 0 43 0 4 44 0 2 51 
			 Cleveland 0 0 59 0 0 67 0 0 63 
			 Cumbria 0 12 108 0 4 107 0 2 93 
			 Derbyshire 0 0 290 0 1 229 0 0 228 
			 Devon and Cornwall 0 7 319 0 12 306 0 19 314 
			 Dorset 0 1 196 0 1 130 0 1 164 
			 Durham 0 1 240 0 2 219 0 3 133 
			 Dyfed-Powys 0 2 132 0 4 100 0 4 137 
			 Essex 0 0 260 0 1 374 0 2 393 
			 Gloucestershire 0 1 148 0 3 144 0 0 170 
			 Greater Manchester(7) 1 25 9090 16 1,006 
			 Gwent 0 3 178 0 2 207 0 2 176 
			 Hampshire 0 12 490 0 25 518 0 24 384 
			 Hertfordshire 0 1 193 0 2 169 0 0 185 
			 Humberside 0 21 240 0 14 182 0 3 127 
			 Kent 0 25 342 0 27 347 0 5 394 
			 Lancashire(5,6) 0 67 264   
			 Leicestershire 2 8 202 0 11 191 0 14 291 
			 Lincolnshire 0 6 162 0 0 166 0 29 169 
			 Merseyside 0 0 10 0 0 182 0 0 165 
			 Metropolitan police(8)   1,898   2,349 0 25 2,589 
			 Norfolk 0 6 220 0 16 166 0 9 199 
			 Northamptonshire(4) 0  149 0 7 102 0 0 98 
			 Northumbria 0 0 691 0 0 39 0 25 215 
			 North Wales 0 0 91 0 7 89 0 0 111 
			 North Yorkshire 0 7 118 0 8 232 0 0 279 
			 Nottinghamshire 1 0 391 0 19 90 0 10 224 
			 South Wales(9) 0 5 1,037 0 2 702 0 5 707 
			 South Yorkshire 0 3 161 0 5 187 0 2 161 
			 Staffordshire 0 2 144 0 0 119 0 0 158 
			 Suffolk 0 1 160 0 10 175 0 2 193 
			 Surrey 0 0 223 0 9 216 0 18 238 
			 Sussex 0 11 175 0 6 324 0 11 405 
			 Thames Valley 0 4 312 0 5 308 0 9 260 
			 Warwickshire 0 3 201 0 0 250 0 0 256 
			 West Mercia 0 10 235 0 17 210 0 7 199 
			 West Midlands(5,6) 0 2 12,62   
			 West Yorkshire 0 2 779 0 9 847 0 7 882 
			 Wiltshire 0 1 136 0 0 165 0 3 121 
			 (1) Data collated on behalf of and published by HMIC. Serious assaults are those for which the charge would be under Sections 18 and 20 of the Offences Against the Person Act 1861. Other assaults include those with minor or no injury. Recording practices may vary over time and between forces. (2) Financial year runs 1 April to 31 March inclusive. (3) HMIC did not publish a force breakdown of assaults prior to 1999-20 HMIC have advised that assaults data will no longer be published in their annual report and that the data for 2004-5 is the last series of these data to be published. (4) Northamptonshire was not able to separate serious and other assaults from 1999-2000 to 2002-03. (5) Lancashire and West Midlands were not able to provide breakdowns of numbers for different assaults in 2003-04, however the number of overall assaults was 462 and 1,112 respectively. (6) Lancashire and West Midlands were not able to provide breakdowns of numbers for different assaults in 2004/05, however the number of overall assaults was 521 and 910 respectively. (7) Greater Manchester was not able to provide data in 2003-04. (8) Metropolitan police was unable to provide data in 2000-01 and was unable to provide breakdowns of numbers for different assaults from 2001-02 to 2003-04. (9) South Wales was not able to provide breakdowns of numbers for different assaults in 1999-2000.

Asylum: Burma

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many asylum applications from Burmese citizens were successful in each of the last five years.

Liam Byrne: Information on asylum applications, initial decisions and appeals for nationals of Burma is shown in the tables.
	
		
			  Asylum applications( 1)  received in the United Kingdom, excluding dependants, and initial decisions( 2) , 2002-06, nationals of Burma 
			  Principal applicants 
			   Applications  Initial Decisions 
			   Total  Total decisions  Grants of asylum  Grants of ELR  Grants of HP( 3)  Grants of DL( 3)  Total refusals 
			 2002 80 85 25 * n/a n/a 55 
			 2003 120 140 25 * * 5 105 
			 2004 60 95 15 n/a  * 80 
			 2005 60 60 25 n/a *  35 
			 2006(4) 70 65 25 n/a 5  30 
			 n/a = not applicable.  (1) Figures rounded to the nearest 5 ( = 0, * = 1 or 2). Figures may not sum to the totals shown because of independent rounding.  (2) Information is of initial decisions, excluding the outcome of appeals or other subsequent decisions. Decision figures do not necessarily relate to applications received in the same period.  (3) Humanitarian Protection and Discretionary Leave replaced Exceptional Leave to Remain from 1 April 2003.  (4) Provisional figures. 
		
	
	
		
			  Asylum appeal outcomes determined at the Immigration Appellate Authority/Asylum and Immigration Tribunal( 1, 2, 3, 4,)  excluding dependants, 2002-06, nationals of Burma 
			  Principal appellants 
			   Total Determined  Allowed  Dismissed  Withdrawn( 5) 
			 2002 80 30 45 5 
			 2003 115 55 55 5 
			 2004 115 45 65 5 
			 2005 70 40 30 5 
			 2006(6) 40 20 15 5 
			 (1) Figures rounded to the nearest 5 ( = 0, * = 1 or 2). Figures may not sum to the totals shown because of independent rounding.  (2) The unification of the appeals system came into effect on 4 April 2005. The Asylum and Immigration Tribunal (AIT) was created by a merger of the Immigration Appellate Authority (IAA) and the Immigration Appeals Tribunal (IAT).  (3) All figures for appeals determined are cases dealt with by adjudicators/immigration judges. Determinations do not necessarily relate to appeals received within the same period.  (4) Prior to 4 April 2005 based on data supplied from the Presenting Officers Unit within the Home Office. From 4 April 2005 based on information supplied by the AIT.  (5) Figures include cases withdrawn by the Home Office, as well as those withdrawn by the appellant.  (6) Provisional figures.

Community Support Officers: Young People

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police community support officers there are under the age of 18 years.

Tony McNulty: The information requested is not collected centrally in the police personnel statistics series. The age of serving police community support officers is collected in the following age brackets only.
	25 and under;
	26 to 40;
	41 to 55 and
	over 55.
	The recruitment and deployment of PCSOs are operational matters for the police authority and chief constable of each force.

Crime

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many crimes were committed per head of population in each police force area in each year since 1997.

Tony McNulty: The information requested is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Offences recorded by the police per 1,000 population by police force area, 1997 to 2006-07 
			  Rate per 1,000 population 
			  Police force area  1997  1998-99  1999-2000  2000-01  2001-02 ( 1) 2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2006-07 
			 Avon and Somerset 98 102 99 99 118 117 111 107 105 
			 Bedfordshire 86 89 96 88 92 108 109 80 98 
			 Cambridgeshire 85 94 95 89 95 120 112 101 92 
			 Cheshire 62 66 66 64 72 86 94 90 90 
			 Cleveland 116 121 117 116 129 136 138 124 124 
			 Cumbria 73 82 77 67 76 77 81 88 77 
			 Derbyshire 77 87 88 84 92 108 103 87 83 
			 Devon and Cornwall 61 71 71 66 64 83 83 83 76 
			 Dorset 65 77 76 73 79 90 90 83 79 
			 Durham 79 83 80 74 83 87 82 80 89 
			 Dyfed-Powys 38 51 49 48 50 51 63 65 60 
			 Essex 60 63 67 66 69 84 89 83 77 
			 Gloucestershire 85 86 92 89 89 99 102 94 91 
			 Greater Manchester 119 141 146 141 147 153 146 128 131 
			 Gwent 85 105 108 102 84 111 107 103 96 
			 Hampshire 71 73 76 75 76 86 100 96 100 
			 Hertfordshire 58 57 60 62 64 83 92 93 87 
			 Humberside 137 148 138 125 133 153 163 141 127 
			 Kent 79 83 79 81 75 83 86 85 90 
			 Lancashire 84 83 76 83 96 92 107 106 94 
			 Leicestershire 88 101 102 92 94 104 103 103 98 
			 Lincolnshire 70 75 74 71 79 96 92 88 82 
			 London, City of n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 Merseyside 89 100 105 102 108 120 124 125 114 
			 Metropolitan police(2) 105 124 138 138 145 152 145 139 124 
			 Norfolk 69 73 75 72 73 89 87 82 76 
			 Northamptonshire 89 107 99 91 97 117 123 115 101 
			 Northumbria 98 106 100 95 98 120 114 102 92 
			 North Wales 62 67 68 73 82 98 92 80 79 
			 North Yorkshire 68 75 72 69 78 90 95 81 71 
			 Nottinghamshire 124 131 133 135 154 159 156 139 131 
			 South Wales 106 109 103 89 92 120 114 102 100 
			 South Yorkshire 100 102 101 96 104 120 112 110 124 
			 Staffordshire 85 87 93 99 111 104 104 96 99 
			 Suffolk 54 60 65 66 74 75 80 77 74 
			 Surrey 50 54 59 59 57 65 69 67 69 
			 Sussex 76 88 91 90 89 88 90 93 88 
			 Thames Valley 76 85 91 89 93 100 100 97 99 
			 Warwickshire 71 76 76 73 83 87 89 83 85 
			 West Mercia 69 73 75 69 89 91 92 81 69 
			 West Midlands 106 120 139 139 142 137 132 114 108 
			 West Yorkshire 116 130 123 122 141 155 156 126 118 
			 Wiltshire 56 64 64 60 63 72 70 64 72 
			 Total England and Wales 88 98 101 98 104| 113 113 105 100 
			 n/a = not applicable (1) The National Crime Recording Standard was introduced on 1 April 2002. The effect was to artificially increase the number of offences recorded and therefore the rate. Figures before and after that date are not directly comparable. (2) Including City of London

Crime Prevention: Schools

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will assess the effectiveness of the experiment initiated by East Renfrewshire Council in appointing of police officers to three secondary schools; whether there is evidence that the level of vandalism and other youth offences has dropped as a result; and she will consider the merits of introduction of further campus police officers in England and Wales in the light of her findings.

Vernon Coaker: holding answer 17 October 2007
	 The scheme in East Renfrewshire appears similar to a scheme we operate in England and Wales called Safer Schools Partnerships (SSPs). Originally launched in areas targeted by the Street Crime Initiative in 2002, there are now over 400 SSPs in one form or another across the country. Guidance (from Home Office, DFES, YJB and ACPO) was issued in March 2006 which illustrates the different ways schools and police forces should consider SSPs as part of their response to a range of local challenges, including reducing youth offending and antisocial behaviour.
	Under the SSP scheme, a dedicated police officer is allocated to a school or a group of schools, often based on-site to work with pupils, school staff and the wider community to identify and work with young people who are at risk of poor behaviour, truancy, victimisation, offending or social exclusion. Having a dedicated officer develop a close relationship with a school has the dual benefit of helping to tackle pupil behaviour or attendance issues as well as building trust and positive relations between the police and young people. It encourages greater confidence in the police by making them more visible and accessible and provides young people with a valuable role model.
	SSPs have been shown to be a successful mechanism for ensuring structured joint working between schools and police. Evaluation by the YJB has shown they are proving effective in improving behaviour and attendance, with truancy falling significantly and pupils and staff feeling much safer. Furthermore, SSPs have been shown to help develop strong and positive relationships between the police and young people, and to help young people develop a sense of being part of the local community.
	My right hon. Friend the Minister for Security, Counter-Terrorism, Crime and Policing my noble Friend Lord Andrew Adonis, Under-Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families have encouraged the adoption of the approach with a joint letter to chief constables in England and Wales in November 2006 requesting that they discuss Safer School Partnerships with their local education partners to encourage them to engage in this type of early intervention. Ministers wrote again to chief constables in England on 26 June 2007 asking them to consider a further push to develop Safer School Partnership support for schools in their communities which had been identified as ones which would most benefit.

Crimes Against Property

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate she has made of the number of recorded incidents of criminal damage in England and Wales in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Tony McNulty: Police recorded crime figures showed a 0 per cent. change in total criminal damage between 2005-06 and 2006-07. Of the 1,185,111 offences recorded, 41 per cent. (484,977) were to a vehicle, 24 per cent. to a dwelling (289,839) and 14 per cent. to a building other than a dwelling (161,307). There was a 6 per cent. fall in the number of arson offences recorded by the police between 2005-06 and 2006-07 to 43,103 offences.
	Total criminal damage accounted for 30 per cent. of all property crime, and 22 per cent. of all recorded crime in England and Wales for 2006-07.
	A complete set of recorded crime statistics for the offences within the criminal damage group are published in table 2.04 of the Statistical Bulletin 11/07 Crime in England and Wales 2006/07 on the Home Office Research, Development and Statistics website at the following address:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs07/hosb1107chap2.xls

Custodial Treatment: Driving Under Influence

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many convictions for drink-driving resulted in custodial sentences in each year since 1997, broken down by police authority.

Vernon Coaker: The latest available information is given in the following tables.
	
		
			  Findings of guilt and immediate custodial sentences at all courts for offences of driving etc .  after consuming alcohol or taking drugs( 1)  by police force area, 1997 to 2004 
			  Number of offences 
			   1997  1998  1999  2000 
			  Police force area  Findings of guilt  Immediate custody( 2)  Findings of guilt  Immediate custody( 2)  Findings of guilt  Immediate custody( 2)  Findings of guilt  Immediate custody( 2) 
			 Avon and Somerset 2,812 163 2,566 157 2,728 165 2,462 152 
			 Bedfordshire 1,146 119 1,060 96 869 87 797 89 
			 Cambridgeshire 1,092 56 1,060 62 941 43 793 41 
			 Cheshire 1,969 97 1,903 119 1,827 133 1,652 122 
			 Cleveland 926 61 870 63 811 57 777 56 
			 Cumbria 931 49 856 51 871 37 806 50 
			 Derbyshire 1,612 147 1,547 202 1,463 181 1,417 126 
			 Devon and Cornwall 2,342 91 2,265 127 2,277 112 2,199 104 
			 Dorset 1,214 93 1,186 88 1,120 96 1,115 84 
			 Durham 1,044 66 1,035 53 1,137 81 1,124 76 
			 Essex 2,736 228 2,438 233 2,528 261 2,462 237 
			 Gloucestershire 1,067 48 985 36 889 51 804 37 
			 Greater Manchester 4,806 440 4,715 453 4,850 464 4,801 428 
			 Hampshire 3,774 243 3,597 231 3,725 213 3,472 244 
			 Hertfordshire 1,670 90 1,672 91 1,679 90 1,552 98 
			 Humberside 1,274 76 1,358 87 1,323 97 1,371 128 
			 Kent 2,321 97 2,627 155 2,633 133 2,592 134 
			 Lancashire 3,389 224 2,945 178 3,010 184 2,584 163 
			 Leicestershire 1,648 183 1,485 140 1,624 188 1,531 152 
			 Lincolnshire 1,088 47 979 36 941 44 816 48 
			 London, City of 436 8 301 9 236 5 162 4 
			 Merseyside 2,719 304 2,451 326 2,137 296 2,128 286 
			 Met Police 16,165 1,270 13,889 1,050 12,414 838 11,801 891 
			 Norfolk 1,116 49 1,118 43 1,010 64 935 45 
			 Northamptonshire 1,107 109 1,062 73 1,058 91 782 90 
			 Northumbria 2,625 184 2,457 194 2,463 229 2,621 215 
			 North Yorkshire 1,365 77 1,205 77 1,124 60 1,073 67 
			 Nottinghamshire 2,031 255 1,804 247 1,802 262 1,722 210 
			 South Yorkshire 2,296 204 2,002 178 1,927 149 2,122 170 
			 Staffordshire(3) 2,036 132 1,955 140 1,711 143 n/a n/a 
			 Suffolk 1,050 53 1,042 60 1,089 71 902 74 
			 Surrey 1,380 64 1,328 58 1,417 47 1,539 61 
			 Sussex 2,373 110 2,113 113 2,224 120 2,112 136 
			 Thames Valley 4,070 215 3,896 195 3,725 216 3,496 212 
			 Warwickshire 837 44 784 53 856 38 786 42 
			 West Mercia 1,947 87 1,794 97 1,747 114 1,631 101 
			 West Midlands 6,351 598 5,582 532 4,775 532 4,559 451 
			 West Yorkshire 3,953 394 3,669 329 3,597 358 3,375 287 
			 Wiltshire 1,043 27 1,108 39 1,009 45 930 28 
			 England 93,761 6,802 86,709 6,471 83,567 6,395 79,671 6,076 
			 Dyfed Powys 1,029 44 995 38 944 48 858 45 
			 Gwent 1,166 61 1,203 84 1,079 78 1,211 99 
			 North Wales 1,354 96 1,306 95 1,248 94 1,332 92 
			 South Wales 2,892 257 2,903 239 2,526 282 2,757 255 
			 Wales 6,441 458 6,407 456 5,797 502 6,158 491 
			 England and Wales 100,202 7,260 93,116 6,927 89,364 6,897 85,829 6,567 
		
	
	
		
			  Number of offences 
			   2001  2002  2003  2004 
			  Police force area  Findings of guilt  Immediate custody( 2)  Findings of guilt  Immediate custody( 2)  Findings of guilt  Immediate custody( 2)  Findings of guilt  Immediate custody( 2) 
			 Avon and Somerset 2,197 129 2,401 124 2,666 167 2,692 145 
			 Bedfordshire 914 79 955 82 1,072 72 1,028 65 
			 Cambridgeshire 813 51 852 41 933 56 1,083 52 
			 Cheshire 1,529 96 1,993 103 1,905 110 2,128 106 
			 Cleveland 887 77 921 71 981 61 1,071 60 
			 Cumbria 761 51 768 37 843 37 907 50 
			 Derbyshire 1,411 140 1,465 164 1,617 168 1,874 143 
			 Devon and Cornwall 2,369 128 2,441 95 2,667 121 2,560 120 
			 Dorset 1,150 91 1,199 83 1,264 73 1,239 52 
			 Durham 1,097 86 1,136 68 1,170 77 1,277 80 
			 Essex 2,456 264 2,522 267 2,622 311 2,853 349 
			 Gloucestershire 865 39 926 44 890 37 913 38 
			 Greater Manchester 4,715 454 4,720 474 4,743 437 4,811 379 
			 Hampshire 3,464 235 3,846 243 3,663 234 3,743 199 
			 Hertfordshire 1,666 94 1,894 90 1,904 78 1,881 94 
			 Humberside 1,259 126 1,395 113 1,445 150 1,623 112 
			 Kent 2,575 165 2,745 152 2,811 179 3,010 155 
			 Lancashire 2,304 148 2,599 159 2,652 146 2,706 125 
			 Leicestershire 1,546 140 1,659 140 1,725 143 1,754 145 
			 Lincolnshire 877 60 847 56 1,111 42 1,209 46 
			 London, City of 162 10 221 12 230 4 169 5 
			 Merseyside 2,195 217 2,293 216 2,687 215 2,849 261 
			 Met Police 11,260 928 12,905 927 12,621 922 13,227 832 
			 Norfolk 1,143 75 1,220 55 1,274 59 1,240 64 
			 Northamptonshire 399 65 236 35 799 65 922 73 
			 Northumbria 2,529 217 2,588 188 2,747 187 2,675 183 
			 North Yorkshire 1,066 55 1,119 63 1,194 51 1,131 40 
			 Nottinghamshire 1,598 187 1,420 129 1,644 149 1,669 111 
			 South Yorkshire 2,020 159 1,945 165 2,089 125 2,224 140 
			 Staffordshire(3) 1,513 136 1,704 143 1,733 141 1,733 124 
			 Suffolk 920 43 1,105 79 1,213 66 1,332 89 
			 Surrey 1,592 65 1,614 68 1,464 44 1,425 51 
			 Sussex 2,358 128 2,306 149 2,430 120 2,368 104 
			 Thames Valley 3,275 210 4,317 219 3,884 159 3,539 190 
			 Warwickshire 880 33 841 40 918 33 845 23 
			 West Mercia 1,740 91 1,719 93 1,797 100 1,689 103 
			 West Midlands 4,914 471 5,050 438 5,233 420 5,584 423 
			 West Yorkshire 3,220 331 3,564 268 3,720 260 3,897 276 
			 Wiltshire 1,045 53 1,005 54 1,031 62 1,024 39 
			 England 78,684 6,127 84,456 5,947 87,392 5,881 89,904 5,646 
			 Dyfed Powys 867 36 927 47 995 46 986 47 
			 Gwent 1,152 76 1,074 74 1,149 94 1,188 69 
			 North Wales 1,227 87 1,270 71 1,326 76 1,349 75 
			 South Wales 2,812 295 2,761 236 2,840 211 2,811 222 
			 Wales 6,058 494 6,032 428 6,310 427 6,334 413 
			 England and Wales 84,742 6,621 90,488 6,375 93,702 6,308 96,238 6,059 
			 n/a = Not available (1) Data provided covers summary offences of driving etc after consuming alcohol or taking drugs (which cannot reliably be distinguished separately). (2) Immediate custody includes sentences of secure training order, detention and training order, young offender institution and unsuspended sentence of imprisonment. (3) Staffordshire police force were only able to submit sample data for persons proceeded against and convicted in the magistrates' courts for the year 2000. Although sufficient to estimate higher orders of data, these data are not robust enough at a detailed level and have been excluded from the table.  Notes: 1. It is known that for some police force areas, the reporting of court proceedings in particular those relating to summary motoring offences, may be less than complete. 2. Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when these data are used.  Source: RDS Court Proceedings DatabaseOffice for Criminal Justice ReformMinistry of Justice.

Custodial Treatment: Driving Under Influence

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many drivers convicted of driving when under the influence of alcohol or drugs in the East of England in each year since 1997 had previous convictions for the same offence, broken down by police authority.

Vernon Coaker: Information on the Court Proceedings Database maintained by the Ministry of Justice does not enable the identification of repeat drink or drug driving offenders.

Departments: Accountancy

Oliver Letwin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what accounts directions were issued by her Department in financial years  (a) 2005-06 and  (b) 2006-07.

Liam Byrne: Under the Government Resource and Accounts Act 2000, HM Treasury issues accounts directions to departments, pension schemes and agencies and under the Government Trading Fund Act 1973 to trading funds.
	For the years 2005-06 and 2006-07 the Home Office has issued accounts directions for the form and content of resource and other accounts to the following sponsored bodies:
	 2005-06
	The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC), the Central Police Training and Development Authority (Centrex) and the Police Information Technology Organisation (PITO).
	 2006-07
	Centrex, PITO, the National Policing Improvement Agency (NPIA) and the Serious and Organised Crime Agency (SOCA). For 2006-07 IPCC relied on accounts directions issued for 2005-06.
	Directions for the Security Industry Authority were issued for 2003-04 and were still extant for 2005-06 and 2006-07. Those for the National Crime Squad and the National Criminal Intelligence Service were issued for 2002-03 and were still extant for 2005-06.

Departments: Road Traffic Offences

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many fixed penalty tickets were incurred by vehicles within the purview of her Department in the last year for which figures are available; and what the total cost was.

Vernon Coaker: This information is not collected centrally.
	I refer the hon. Gentleman to his question answered on 18 October 2007,  Official Report, column 1185W, by my hon. Friend, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport (Jim Fitzpatrick).

Detection Rates

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the detection rates were for reported crime in England and Wales in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available, broken down by categories of crime.

Tony McNulty: holding answer 16 October 2007
	The information is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Detection rates by offence group in England and Wales 
			  Percentage detected 
			   Total crime  Violence against the person  Sexual offences  Robbery  Burglary  Offences against vehicles( 1)  Other theft offences  Fraud and forgery  Criminal damage  Drug offences  Other offences 
			 1997 28 79 77 27 23 16 33 48 19 98 78 
			 1998-99 29 71 68 23 19 13 32 36 17 97 78 
			 1999-2000(2) 22 65 59 18 13 8 27 30 15 97 74 
			 2000-01(3) 24 59 45 17 12 8 25 28 14 95 79 
			 2001-02(4) 23 57 45 17 12 8 24 27 13 94 77 
			 
			 2002-03(5, 6) 23 54 39 19 12 9 21 26 13 93 76 
			 2003-04 23 50 36 19 13 9 20 26 13 93 73 
			 2004-05(7) 26 53 34 20 13 10 20 26 14 95 70 
			 2005-06 27 54 35 18 14 10 22 29 15 95 71 
			 2006-07 27 51 32 19 14 11 23 28 15 95 70 
			 (1) Offences of aggravated vehicle taking and theft of and from a vehicle. Includes interfering with a motor vehicle from 1998-99 onwards. (2) Revised detections guidance was implemented on 1 April 1999. The new instructions provided more precise and rigorous criteria for recording a detection. (3) Excludes British Transport police, Durham, Hampshire, Leicestershire, South Yorkshire and West Yorkshire. (4) Excludes British Transport police, Durham and Leicestershire. (5) The National Crime Recording Standard was implemented in April 2002. It was expected to have an inflationary effect on recorded crime, and the general assumption was that it would depress the detection rates in 2002-03 and 2003-04 since additional recorded crimes would generally be less serious and possibly harder to detect. (6) Data for the British Transport police have been included from 2002-03 onwards. (7) The classification and coverage of offences included in the sexual offences group changed from 1 May 2004 following the introduction of the Sexual Offences Act 2003. This added a number of new offences and the definitions of other offences were broadened.

Driving Offences: Greater London

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many incidents there were of a vehicle failing to stop at the scene of a crime in the Greater London area in each of the last five years.

Vernon Coaker: This information is not collected centrally.

Driving Under Influence: Greater London

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people were cautioned or charged for the offence of driving while unfit under the influence of drugs in the Greater London area in each of the last five years.

Vernon Coaker: This information is not collected centrally.

Driving: Insurance

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people were prosecuted for driving cars while uninsured in each police authority area in the East of England in each year since 1997.

Vernon Coaker: Available information is given in the table.
	Information collected centrally on motoring offences does not identify the type of vehicle involved, unless the offence is specific to that type of vehicle
	
		
			  Proceedings at magistrates courts for the offence of using a motor vehicle uninsured against third party risks( 1)  within the east region of England by police force area, 1997-2004 
			  Police force area  1997  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003( 2)  2004 
			 East region 27,095 27,875 26,278 27,553 29,550 32,351 35,177 33,051 
			  
			 Bedfordshire 4,724 4,449 3,479 3,594 4,651 4,731 5,041 4,534 
			 Cambridgeshire 3,440 3,425 3,058 2,929 2,508 2,875 3,301 3,120 
			 Essex 7,161 7,025 7,336 7,898 7,708 7,811 7,489 7,132 
			 Hertfordshire 4,580 5,799 4,748 5,258 5,816 6,612 7,216 7,463 
			 Norfolk 3,932 3,434 3,468 3,951 4,744 5,563 6,322 5,084 
			 Suffolk 3,258 3,743 4,189 3,923 4,123 4,759 5,808 5,718 
			 (1) An offence under the Road Traffic Act 1988 s. 143 (2).  (2) As from 1 June 2003, 'driving a motor vehicle while uninsured against third party risks' became a fixed penalty offence.   Notes:  1. It is known that for some police force areas, the reporting of court proceedings in particular those relating to summary motoring offences may be less than complete.  2. Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their limitations are taken into account when those data are used.

Human Trafficking: Children

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what advice is given to police forces on actions to be taken when trafficked minors present themselves at police stations to seek assistance.

Vernon Coaker: Under Section 11 of the Children Act 2004, the police have a duty to safeguard and promote the welfare of any child in England and Wales, including trafficked children. Any child who presents at a police station should be referred to the relevant local authority children's services for an assessment to be made of their needs to ensure that they are safeguarded and their welfare secured.
	The victim care role of the police in child trafficking cases is contained in the Government's guide to inter-agency working to safeguard and promote the welfare of children, Working Together To Safeguard Children, 2006. The police and children's services should be informed whenever it is suspected that a child is a victim of trafficking. The multi-agency Trafficking Toolkit also provides guidance on dealing with trafficking. In addition, multi-agency supplementary guidance to the Working Together document, Safeguarding Children Who May Have Been Trafficked is soon to be published jointly by the Department for Children, Schools and Families and the Home Office. This was the subject of public consultation during the Summer.

Human Trafficking: Children

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what her estimate is of the number of minors who were illegally trafficked into the UK in each of the last four years.

Vernon Coaker: All forms of human trafficking are illegal and are defined by the Sexual Offences Act 2003 and the Asylum and Immigration (Treatment of Claimants) Act 2004. Trafficking involves the movement of individuals for the purpose of exploitation.
	To date, the best available information in relation to the numbers of trafficked children is contained in the Home Office and BIA-commissioned Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (CEOP) Scoping Project on Child Trafficking in the UK, published in June 2007. This report found 330 cases of suspected or confirmed child trafficking, from a dataset gathered by key agencies during the period March 2005 to December 2006.
	Recognising the limitations of this 'snapshot' report, the Government intend to examine further the continuing intelligence and data being gathered by the various agencies in relation to child trafficking. To this end, CEOP, on behalf of the Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA), will conduct a strategic threat assessment into the scale and nature of child trafficking into and within the UK.

Human Trafficking: Children

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many minors trafficked into the UK were  (a) taken into social services or foster care and  (b) subsequently deported from the UK in each of the last four years.

Vernon Coaker: The information requested is not currently recorded, but in line with our UK Action Plan on Tackling Human Trafficking, we are developing arrangements for data on human trafficking to be collected and recorded centrally.

Human Trafficking: Children

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people were  (a) arrested,  (b) charged and  (c) prosecuted for illegally trafficking minors into the UK in each of the last four years.

Vernon Coaker: The most recent data provided to the Home Office show that, for human trafficking overall, there have been a total of 66 convictions to date, all for trafficking for the purpose of sexual exploitation, with a further 64 cases pending. These figures include any cases in which the victim was a child, although specific data on child victims are not yet collected or recorded centrally.
	However, discussions are ongoing between the Home Office, UKHTC and CPS to further develop a system of data collection and central recording of all cases of human trafficking.

Human Trafficking: Prostitution

Denis MacShane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have been successfully prosecuted for trafficking of women to work as prostitutes in each of the last five years.

Vernon Coaker: Following the commencement of dedicated trafficking offences in 2004, there have been 68 convictions for trafficking for sexual exploitation. The number of men prosecuted for trafficking for each year is as follows:
	
		
			   Number 
			 2004 3 
			 2005 18 
			 2006 16 
			 2007 11

Immigration Controls: Bulgaria

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  when she expects the Government to make a decision on whether to continue the restrictions placed on migrant workers entering the UK from Romania and Bulgaria;
	(2)  what factors are being considered as part of the Government's review of whether to retain current restrictions on Bulgarian and Romanian migrant workers entering the UK;
	(3)  what representations the Government have received from Romania and Bulgaria as part of its review of the restrictions placed on migrant workers entering the UK;
	(4)  which groups the Government have consulted as part of their decision making process on whether to retain restrictions on migrant workers from Romania and Bulgaria entering the UK;
	(5)  what meetings she has had with her counterparts in  (a) Romania and  (b) Bulgaria as part of the Government's ongoing review of their restrictions on migrant workers entering the UK.

Liam Byrne: The Government committed to an announcement on the current restrictions in place on migrant workers from Romania and Bulgaria within 12 months of them coming into effect. This decision will be informed by a stock-take of the impact of A2 and A8 migration to the UK, looking at the needs of our labour market, the impact of the A8 accession and the positions adopted by other EU countries I invited contribution from members of the Migration Impacts Forum, the Border and Immigration Agency Regional Strategic Coordination Groups and the Illegal Working Stakeholder Group. The Romanian and Bulgarian governments were also invited to contribute, their evidence and views will be taken into account in developing the evidence base. Further, other organisations and the general public were invited to contribute through the BIA website homepage.
	The Secretary of State has had no meetings with her counterparts in Romania and Bulgaria as part of the stock-take. However there have been ongoing meetings at official level to discuss the restrictions on migrant workers with Bulgarian and Romanian officials.

Immigration Controls: Bulgaria

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many Romanian and Bulgarian migrant workers are employed in Britain; and what the change in numbers has been since accession of those countries to the UK.

Angela Eagle: I have been asked to reply.
	The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 22 October 2007:
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question about the number of Romanian and Bulgarian migrant workers who are currently employed in the United Kingdom, and what the changes in numbers have been since accession. (158556)
	The attached table gives the rate and number of employed people of working age who were born in either Romania or Bulgaria, for the twelve month periods ending March 2005, 2006 and 2007.
	When interpreting the figures in the table, it is important to bear in mind that the Annual Population Survey (APS) is not designed to cover everyone who is present in the UK. The survey may undercount the numbers of people who were born overseas. The reasons are set out in the table footnote.
	As with any sample survey, estimates from the Annual Population Survey (APS) are subject to a margin of uncertainty.
	
		
			  Levels and rates of people of working age( 1)  in employment who were born in Bulgaria or Romania12 months ending March, 2005, 2006, 2007United Kingdom, not seasonally adjusted 
			   Romania  Bulgaria 
			   Levels (thousand)  Rate( 2)  (percentage)  Levels (thousand)  Rate( 2)  (percentage) 
			 2005 6 62 10 88 
			 2006 11 65 10 87 
			 2007 10 81 10 86 
			 (1) Men aged 16 to 64 and women aged 16 to 59 (2) People in employment as a percentage of all persons in the working age group (16 to 59/64).  Note: It should be noted that the APS: excludes those who have not been resident in the UK excludes students in halls who do not have a UK resident parent excludes people in most other types of communal establishment (e.g. hotels, boarding houses, hostels, mobile home sites etc.) is grossed to population estimates that only include migrants staying for 12 months or more microdata are only grossed to population estimates consistent with those published in spring which are significantly lower that the latest population estimates.

Police: Emergency Calls

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the average response time to 999 calls made to the police in  (a) Essex and  (b) Southend was in each year since 1997.

Tony McNulty: This information is not held centrally. This is a matter for the chief constable of Essex police.

Police: Festivals and Special Occasions

Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what guidance her Department issues on the policing and marshalling of local events; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  what representations she has received about the policing and marshalling of local events;
	(3)  what guidance is issued by her Department to chief police officers on the policing, marshalling and directing of traffic at local events; and what plans she has to change this guidance;
	(4)  if she will make it her policy to permit the training of stewards and marshals by professional and amateur organisers for the policing and direction of traffic at local events; and if she will make a statement.

Vernon Coaker: In August 2006, the Home Office published the Good Practice Safety Guide for small and sporting events taking place on the highway, roads and public spaces. The Guide sets out good practice for professional and amateur organisers of smaller scale local events, offering advice on the responsibilities of an organiser, carrying out risk assessments and the policing, marshalling and directing of traffic. The Guide includes guidance on the use of stewards and marshals covering training and briefing. The Guide, when used with other guidance produced by the Health and Safety Executive, helps to ensure that such events are as safe as possible for the public and participants and will be kept under review.

Police: Finance

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what total grant was allocated to each police authority in each year since 1997;
	(2)  how much funding was allocated per head of population for each police authority in England and Wales in each year since 1997.

Tony McNulty: The information requested is set out in the following table.
	The Government do not distribute grant to police authorities purely on the basis of population. The police funding formula uses a range of data relating to demographic and social characteristics to reflect the relative needs of each authority. Grant allocations also take into account the relative tax base of each authority. Grant allocations are stabilised by damping to limit year-on-year variations.
	
		
			  Police authority total government grant allocations 
			  Police authority  1997-98  1998-99  1999-2000  2000-01 
			   Government grant( 1,2)  Resident population  Government Grant( 1,2)  Resident population  Government Grant( 1,2)  Resident population  Government Grant( 1,2)  Resident population 
			   m  M  m  M  m  M  m  M 
			 Avon and Somerset 134.80 1.46 139.75 1.47 142.56 1.48 146.96 1.49 
			 Bedfordshire 50.14 0.55 51.90 0.55 51.97 0.56 54.24 0.56 
			 Cambridgeshire 57.23 0.70 60.66 0.70 62.87 0.70 66.89 0.71 
			 Cheshire 85.08 0.98 88.15 0.98 91.65 0.98 94.16 0.98 
			 Cleveland 67.59 0.55 72.66 0.55 73.65 0.55 76.30 0.55 
			 Cumbria 50.94 0.49 51.11 0.49 51.84 0.49 53.66 0.49 
			 Derbyshire 81. 06 0.95 83.35 0.96 87.29 0.96 94.24 0.96 
			 Devon and Cornwall 132.97 1.54 141.09 1.54 146.70 1.55 152.88 1.57 
			 Dorset 54.09 0.68 54.88 0.68 56.58 0.69 58.82 0.69 
			 Durham 65.06 0.60 69.68 0.60 72.46 0.59 74.77 0.59 
			 Dyfed-Powys 24.67 0.48 25.21 0.48 25.92 0.48 26.77 0.49 
			 Essex 129.70 1.58 131.53 1.59 132.75 1.60 142.51 1.61 
			 Gloucestershire 50.59 0.56 51.78 0.56 52.12 0.56 52.88 0.56 
			 Greater Manchester 315.27 2.52 328.12 2.52 337.39 2.52 351.70 2.52 
			 Gwent 31.82 0.55 33.27 0.55 34.85 0.55 35.83 0.55 
			 Hampshire 150.38 1.75 158.77 1.76 162.66 1.77 169.64 1.77 
			 Hertfordshire 76.02 1.01 77.23 1.02 82.42 1.02 92.89 1.03 
			 Humberside 93.43 0.88 97.83 0.88 99.71 0.87 103.06 0.87 
			 Kent 141.72 1.55 151.44 1.55 154.31 1.56 162.74 1.57 
			 Lancashire 146.86 1.41 153.65 1.41 155.94 1.41 163.35 1.41 
			 Leicestershire 83.88 0.92 85.27 0.92 87.84 0.92 90.60 0.92 
			 Lincolnshire 52.23 0.62 51.13 0.63 53.30 0.63 56.43 0.64 
			 Merseyside 207.64 1.39 213.25 1.39 215.31 1.38 220.65 1.37 
			 Metropolitan(3) 1,610.26 7.01 1.633.26 7.06 1,658.78 7.15  7.23 
			 Norfolk 65.65 0.77 68.10 0.78 69.95 0.79 74.20 0.79 
			 North Wales 34.96 0.65 36.27 0.66 37.95 0.66 39.16 0.66 
			 North Yorkshire 59.23 0.73 62.62 0.73 63.89 0.74 66.55 0.74 
			 Northamptonshire 50.77 0.61 53.28 0.62 55.14 0.62 57.14 0.63 
			 Northumbria 173.67 1.42 185.28 1.41 192.25 1.40 197.06 1.40 
			 Nottinghamshire 104.73 1.02 108.06 1.02 110.75 1.02 113.91 1.02 
			 South Wales 76.37 1.21 79.54 1.21 81.98 1.21 84.27 1.21 
			 South Yorkshire 141.47 1.28 147.75 1.27 152.90 1.27 159.24 1.27 
			 Staffordshire 96.15 1.05 95.09 1.05 96.27 1.05 100.13 1.05 
			 Suffolk 52.57 0.66 55.14 0.66 57.29 0.67 59.09 0.67 
			 Surrey 75.60 1.04 67.61 1.04 67.61 1.06 83.09 1.06 
			 Sussex 127.99 1.46 134.66 1.47 137.03 1.49 142.03 1.49 
			 Thames Valley 171.15 2.06 181.27 2.07 184.64 2.08 193.02 2.09 
			 Warwickshire 42.18 0.50 42.54 0.50 43.16 0.50 44.96 0.50 
			 West Mercia 87.74 1.13 90.86 1.14 92.92 1.14 98.36 1.15 
			 West Midlands 317.34 2.59 335.10 2.56 342.16 2.58 357.58 2.57 
			 West Yorkshire 238.20 2.07 249.54 2.07 255.01 2.07 268.61 2.07 
			 Wiltshire 52.08 0.59 52.87 0.60 53.84 0.60 57.20 0.61 
			 England and Wales Total 5,861.30 51.56 6,050.55 51.71 8,185.59 51.93 4,737.60 52.13 
		
	
	
		
			  Police authority  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05 
			   Government Grant( 1,2)  Resident population  Government Grant( 1,2)  Resident population  Government Grant( 1,2)  Resident population  Government Grant( 1,2)  Resident population 
			   m  M  m  M  m  M  m  M 
			 Avon and Somerset 152.58 1.49 158.87 1.50 173.99 1.51 175.19 1.52 
			 Bedfordshire 59.89 0.57 61.51 0.57 66.83 0.57 69.22 0.58 
			 Cambridgeshire 71.27 0.71 76.80 0.72 77.96 0.73 79.66 0.74 
			 Cheshire 100.79 0.98 103.02 0.99 112.59 0.95 119.77 0.99 
			 Cleveland 80.96 0.55 84.06 0.55 90.97 0.55 94.79 0.55 
			 Cumbria 55.61 0.49 60.11 0.49 63.08 0.49 65.27 0.49 
			 Derbyshire 101.56 0.97 106.46 0.97 111.23 0.98 114.88 0.98 
			 Devon and Cornwall 163.44 1.58 167.49 1.59 174.26 1.60 180.29 1.62 
			 Dorset 62.45 0.69 65.46 0.70 71.17 0.70 75.46 0.70 
			 Durham 77.69 0.59 81.78 0.59 86.93 0.59 90.27 0.60 
			 Dyfed-Powys 28.00 0.49 28.17 0.49 30.12 0.50 32.23 0.50 
			 Essex 152.99 1.62 157.94 1.62 169.34 1.63 173.67 1.64 
			 Gloucestershire 55.55 0.56 58.78 0.57 61.48 0.57 63.66 0.57 
			 Greater Manchester 374.55 2.52 384.68 2.52 417.66 2.53 433.15 2.54 
			 Gwent 37.23 0.55 37.64 0.55 40.90 0.56 43.29 0.56 
			 Hampshire 178.39 1.78 185.16 1.79 197.87 1.80 208.08 1.80 
			 Hertfordshire 100.61 1.04 102.27 1.04 108.85 1.04 114.58 1.04 
			 Humberside 106.20 0.88 110.26 0.88 117.34 0.88 124.65 0.89 
			 Kent 178.10 1.58 179.96 1.59 188.38 1.60 198.30 1.61 
			 Lancashire 173.85 1.42 174.78 1.42 188.91 1.43 196.55 1.43 
			 Leicestershire 94.60 0.93 101.21 0.93 107.59 0.94 111.45 0.95 
			 Lincolnshire 60.34 0.65 60.97 0.66 64.98 0.67 68.22 0.67 
			 Merseyside 235.53 1.37 241.29 1.37 267.36 1.36 269.90 1.37 
			 Metropolitan(3)  7.32  7.36  7.38  7.42 
			 Norfolk 81.58 0.80 86.60 0.80 90.79 0.81 94.37 0.82 
			 North Wales 41.36 0.66 41.11 0.67 44.71 0.67 47.08 0.67 
			 North Yorkshire 72.69 0.75 71.68 0.76 78.89 0.76 80.61 0.76 
			 Northamptonshire 59.46 0.63 62.21 0.64 69.79 0.64 70.71 0.65 
			 Northumbria 209.79 1.39 211.02 1.39 226.21 1.39 233.28 1.40 
			 Nottinghamshire 123.97 1.02 129.84 1.02 136.54 1.03 142.04 1.03 
			 South Wales 88.02 1.20 89.25 1.21 93.45 1.21 103.17 1.22 
			 South Yorkshire 167.09 1.27 168.77 1.27 184.86 1.27 191.87 1.28 
			 Staffordshire 105.23 1.05 106.36 1.05 112.87 1.05 117.62 1.05 
			 Suffolk 62.24 0.67 62.02 0.67 69.57 0.88 71.81 0.68 
			 Surrey 83.35 1.06 87.48 1.06 93.59 1.08 96.78 1.07 
			 Sussex 149.10 1.50 153.68 1.50 168.05 1.51 180.99 1.51 
			 Thames Valley 210.13 2.10 219.41 2.10 233.34 2.11 237.32 2.12 
			 Warwickshire 46.90 0.51 48.67 0.51 51.91 0.52 53.90 0.53 
			 West Mercia 108.63 1.16 109.21 1.17 114.12 1.17 117.77 1.18 
			 West Midlands 379.35 2.57 388.14 2.58 415.20 2.58 433.31 2.58 
			 West Yorkshire 287.07 2.08 288.26 2.09 310.30 2.10 329.12 2.11 
			 Wiltshire 60.89 0.61 60.78 0.62 64.68 0.62 65.85 0.63 
			 England and Wales Total 5,038.79 52.35 5,173.15 52.56 5,548.65 52.79 5,770.08 53.04 
		
	
	
		
			  Police authority  2005-06  2006-07( 4)  2007-08( 4) 
			   Government grant( 1,2)  Resident population  Government grant( 1,2)  Resident population  Government grant( 1,2)  Resident population 
			   m  M  m  M  m  M 
			 Avon and Somerset 183.81 1.53 185.92 1.54 184.21 1.55 
			 Bedfordshire 73.11 0.58 74.15 0.59 76.21 0.59 
			 Cambridgeshire 85.26 0.75 82.33 0.75 85.58 0.76 
			 Cheshire 124.28 0.99 130.88 1.00 136.13 1.00 
			 Cleveland 99.54 0.55 101.32 0.55 105.29 0.55 
			 Cumbria 68.71 0.50 72.43 0.49 72.29 0.49 
			 Derbyshire 119.38 0.98 117.32 0.99 119.81 0.99 
			 Devon and Cornwall 189.16 1.63 190.95 1.64 199.38 1.65 
			 Dorset 73.19 0.70 81.17 0.71 82.66 0.71 
			 Durham 95.28 0.60 94.36 0.59 97.68 0.59 
			 Dyfed-Powys 33.61 0.51 32.69 0.51 34.17 0.51 
			 Essex 181.81 1.65 180.43 1.65 187.91 1.66 
			 Gloucestershire 68.00 0.58 67.93 0.58 71.35 0.58 
			 Greater Manchester 462.73 2.55 479.73 2.54 484.16 2.55 
			 Gwent 44.44 0.56 44.27 0.56 45.70 0.56 
			 Hampshire 239.16 1.81 222.35 1.82 221.75 1.83 
			 Hertfordshire 117.84 1.05 121.12 1.06 127.33 1.06 
			 Humberside 132.49 0.89 135.00 0.89 134.90 0.89 
			 Kent 203.93 1.62 193.45 1.83 219.23 1.65 
			 Lancashire 205.41 1.44 207.98 1.44 215.90 1.44 
			 Leicestershire 118.17 0.95 124.81 0.95 126.03 0.96 
			 Lincolnshire 71.17 0.68 66.54 0.69 72.47 0.70 
			 Merseyside 279.85 1.37 276.08 1.36 287.30 1.36 
			 Metropolitan(3)  7.51  7.51  7.56 
			 Norfolk 99.27 0.82 100.08 0.83 102.25 0.84 
			 North Wales 49.47 0.68 48.07 0.68 50.28 0.68 
			 North Yorkshire 83.73 0.77 86.24 0.77 79.39 0.77 
			 Northamptonshire 72.37 0.65 75.49 0.66 78.53 0.66 
			 Northumbria 250.55 1.41 249.17 1.39 260.01 1.39 
			 Nottinghamshire 148.94 1.04 143.48 1.04 145.55 1.04 
			 South Wales 107.45 1.22 91.93 1.23 94.82 1.23 
			 South Yorkshire 202.82 1.29 205.49 1.28 211.15 1.28 
			 Staffordshire 122.43 1.05 122.05 1.05 126.77 1.05 
			 Suffolk 74.76 0.69 73.73 0.69 75.57 0.70 
			 Surrey 100.80 1.08 104.76 1.08 110.12 1.08 
			 Sussex 180.95 1.52 156.10 1.53 189.14 1.54 
			 Thames Valley 249.35 2.14 260.52 2.14 261.98 2.15 
			 Warwickshire 56.16 0.53 54.57 0.53 56.91 0.53 
			 West Mercia 122.50 1.19 126.05 1.16 131.49 1.1 
			 West Midlands 466.12 2.59 471.41 2.59 487.88 2.59 
			 West Yorkshire 347.12 2.12 345.62 2.12 348.95 2.13 
			 Wiltshire 70.26 0.63 68.77 0.64 73.03 0.64 
			 England and Wales Total 6,075.37 53.38 6,066.75 53.45 6,271.23 53.68 
			 (1) Revenue funding includes all grants inside Aggregate External Finance (AEF) (i.e. revenue grants paid for councils' core services).  (2) Welsh Government Grant includes Home Office Police Grant, floor funding and additional support provided to ensure Welsh police authorities receive at least a minimum.  (3 )The data for Metropolitan Police Authority from 2000-02 onwards are not available as they are collected as consolidated data from GLA.  (4 )2006-07 Government grant figures are provisional outturn figures. 2007-08 figures are budget figures.  Source: DCLGEnglish police authorities/WAGWelsh police authorities. Population figures sourced by DCLG from ONS (2006-07 and 2007-08 figures are projected).

Police: Firearms

John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 11 October 2007,  Official Report, column 718W, on police: firearms, how many operations there were in which firearms were authorised in  (a) the City of Leeds and  (b) Leeds West constituency in each of the last 10 years.

Tony McNulty: This information is not available centrally. Information on the number of police operations in which firearms were authorised is only available by force area.

Proceeds of Crime: East of England

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the value was of assets  (a) seized and  (b) frozen under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 in each police force area in the East of England in each year since 2002.

Vernon Coaker: The information requested is not available. Information is available from 2003-04 on the value of cash forfeiture orders and confiscation orders obtained by police forces. This information is set out in the table.
	
		
			  Value of Cash Forfeiture Orders and Confiscation Orders obtained by Police Force Area, 2003-04 to 2006-07 
			   
			   2006-07  2005-06  2004-05  2003-04 
			 Bedfordshire Police 401,264 272,110 154,828 3,392,094 
			 Cambridgeshire Constabulary 974,930 211,225 2,695,434 278,679 
			 Essex Police 1,069,979 652,297 192,804 0.00 
			 Hertfordshire Constabulary 1,209,485 568,276 440,353 929,368 
			 Norfolk Constabulary 269,184 3,574,093 911,868 89,325 
			 Suffolk Constabulary 468,491 666,872 430,715 137,649

Prostitution

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department by what means the Government plans to implement its commitment in Section 5.6 of the 2006 document A Coordinated Prostitution Strategy, January 2006, to amend the definition of a brothel so that two (or three) individuals may work together.

Vernon Coaker: This proposal remains a part of the prostitution strategy, although we are committed to further consultation before any legislative changes are made.
	As part of the strategy, we are currently looking at how we can make further progress in terms of tackling demand for prostitution and trafficking. It would be wrong to pre-empt this work by consulting on the change to the definition of a brothel. We will return to this commitment once we have considered our options to tackle demand.

Runaway Children: Lancashire

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many children under the age of 18 years ran away from their homes in Lancashire in each of the last 10 years; and how many of these subsequently returned home;
	(2)  how many children under the age of 18 years were reported missing in Lancashire in each of the last 10 years; and how many of these cases were subsequently resolved.

Tony McNulty: This is a matter for the force concerned.

Sexual Offences: Victim Support Schemes

Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many sexual assault referral centres there are in each police force area in England and Wales  (a) in absolute terms and  (b) per thousand population.

Vernon Coaker: There are currently 18 Sexual Assault Referral Centres (SARCs) in operation across England and Wales. A further 18 Centres are currently in development and will bring the total to 36 by the end of 2008-09.
	The following table shows the location of each SARC in relation to each
	police force area. We do not routinely collect information on SARCs per thousand population.
	
		
			  Sexual Assault Referral Centres (SARCs) by police force areas in England and Wales 
			  Police force area  SARC location 
			 Avon and Somerset Bristol (under development) 
			 Bedfordshire  
			 Cambridgeshire  
			 Cheshire Crewe or Warrington (under development) 
			 Cleveland Middlesbrough (under development) 
			 Cumbria  
			 Devon and Cornwall Plymouth (under development) Exeter (under development) 
			 Derbyshire Codner 
			 Dorset Bournemouth (under development) 
			 Durham Durham 
			 Dyfed-Powys Carmarthen 
			 Essex  
			 Gloucestershire Gloucester (under development) 
			 Greater Manchester Manchester 
			 Gwent Risca (near Newport) 
			 Hampshire Portsmouth 
			 Hertfordshire  
			 Humberside Hull (under development) 
			 Kent Dartford 
			 Lancashire Preston 
			 Leicestershire Leicester 
			 Lincolnshire  
			 London Metropolitan Camberwell 
			  Paddington 
			  Whitechapel 
			 London City  
			 Merseyside Liverpool (under development) 
			 Norfolk Norwich (under development) 
			 Northamptonshire  
			 North Wales Colwyn Bay (under development) 
			 North Yorkshire  
			 Northumbria Newcastle Sunderland 
			 Nottinghamshire Nottingham 
			 South Wales Merthyr Tydfil Cardiff (under development) 
			 South Yorkshire Rotherham (under development) 
			 Staffordshire Stafford (under development) 
			 Suffolk  
			 Surrey  
			 Sussex Crawley (under development) 
			 Thames Valley Aylesbury (under development) 
			 Warwickshire  
			 West Mercia  
			 West Midlands Walsall 
			 West Yorkshire Kirklees (under development) 
			  Calderdale (under development) 
			 Wiltshire Swindon

Shoplifting: East of England

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people were convicted of shoplifting in the East of England in each year since 1997, broken down by parliamentary constituency; and how many of these convictions led to  (a) a caution,  (b) probation and  (c) a custodial sentence.

Vernon Coaker: The number of people cautioned, convicted and sentenced to community and custodial disposals for theft from shops in the East of England Region, broken down by police force area, in each year from1997 to 2005 is shown in the Table. Data for 2006 will be available in November 2007. The Ministry of Justice is unable to provide a breakdown by parliamentary constituency as the data is not held to that level of detail.
	A caution can be given when there is sufficient evidence for a conviction and it is not considered to be in the public interest to institute criminal proceedings.
	Probation Orders were renamed Community Rehabilitation Orders in April 2001 and replaced by the Community Order (for adults) in April 2005. For this reason, persons sentenced to all Community Orders have also been shown in the table.
	
		
			  Persons( 1)  cautioned, found guilty and sentenced to community and custodial sentences for theft from shops in the East of England Region, 1997-2005 
			  Year and police force area  Persons cautioned  Persons found guilty ( 2) Persons sentenced to community rehabilitation order  Persons sentenced to all community sentences  Persons sentenced to immediate custody 
			  1997  
			 Bedfordshire 689 610 78 145 126 
			 Cambridgeshire 450 502 47 96 35 
			 Essex 1,295 1,637 302 458 316 
			 Hertfordshire 638 576 89 130 44 
			 Norfolk 1,187 713 71 178 65 
			 Suffolk 460 586 45 109 54 
			 Total 4,719 4,624 632 1,116 640 
			  1998  
			 Bedfordshire 564 717 98 181 165 
			 Cambridgeshire 411 594 61 118 56 
			 Essex 1,350 1,714 276 519 360 
			 Hertfordshire 586 611 103 162 73 
			 Norfolk 874 928 85 250 80 
			 Suffolk 442 681 79 162 98 
			 Total 4,227 5,245 702 1,392 832 
			  1999  
			 Bedfordshire 681 798 125 219 176 
			 Cambridgeshire 433 704 68 120 82 
			 Essex 1,016 1,622 214 395 360 
			 Hertfordshire 568 779 121 201 86 
			 Norfolk 573 1,027 92 265 122 
			 Suffolk 379 666 59 136 101 
			 Total 3,650 5,596 679 1,336 927 
			  2000  
			 Bedfordshire 492 805 154 215 213 
			 Cambridgeshire 532 872 116 238 101 
			 Essex 946 1,578 229 449 372 
			 Hertfordshire 704 889 129 221 134 
			 Norfolk 638 991 107 302 133 
			 Suffolk 572 749 92 208 106 
			 Total 3,884 5,884 827 1,633 1,059 
			  2001  
			 Bedfordshire 647 867 146 273 236 
			 Cambridgeshire 430 895 121 264 122 
			 Essex 1,014 1,744 230 565 466 
			 Hertfordshire 777 917 154 308 176 
			 Norfolk 495 1,088 146 392 152 
			 Suffolk 599 771 94 180 102 
			 Total 3,962 6,282 891 1,982 1,254 
			  2002  
			 Bedfordshire 513 916 152 287 268 
			 Cambridgeshire 428 857 171 330 97 
			 Essex 810 1,623 236 531 486 
			 Hertfordshire 604 964 160 311 199 
			 Norfolk 382 1,045 151 418 147 
			 Suffolk 396 743 88 203 112 
			 Total 3,133 6,148 958 2,080 1,309 
			  2003  
			 Bedfordshire 641 1,098 155 331 312 
			 Cambridgeshire 420 791 124 281 113 
			 Essex 767 1,686 229 530 542 
			 Hertfordshire 662 1,051 165 364 191 
			 Norfolk 400 944 90 338 152 
			 Suffolk 428 839 98 245 132 
			 Total 3,318 6,409 861 2,089 1,442 
			  2004  
			 Bedfordshire 753 1,073 129 375 285 
			 Cambridgeshire 550 717 124 273 86 
			 Essex 805 1,646 151 526 518 
			 Hertfordshire 760 1,130 134 357 237 
			 Norfolk 580 925 60 297 157 
			 Suffolk 466 726 52 241 104 
			 Total 3,914 6,217 650 2,069 1,387 
			  2005  
			 Bedfordshire 855 879 91 231 229 
			 Cambridgeshire 843 802 39 236 99 
			 Essex 1,277 1,841 68 541 535 
			 Hertfordshire 749 1,126 71 370 239 
			 Norfolk 648 923 35 308 106 
			 Suffolk 487 745 55 238 110 
			 Total 4,859 6,316 359 1,924 1,318 
			 (1) These data are on the principal offence basis. (2) Probation orders prior to April 2001.  Note: Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.  Sources:  RDS-OCJR (cautions and convictions) and RDS-NOMS (sentencing), Ministry of Justice. Refs: 361-07 and Sent 202-07

Stop and Search: Greater London

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on how many occasions police used stop and search powers contained in section 44 of the Terrorism Act 2000 in each London constituency in each of the last five years.

Tony McNulty: Information held by the Ministry of Justice on the number of stops and searches, under section 44 of the Terrorism Act 2000, is available at police force area level only.
	The latest annual HOSB Arrests for Recorded Crime (Notifiable Offences) and the Operation of Certain Police Powers under PACE, England and Wales, 2004/05 can be found on the Home Office website: http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs05/hosb2105.pdf
	The Metropolitan police has, however, published on 25 September 2007 a borough breakdown of S44 stop and searches, covering the period April to August 2007. These figures are available on the Metropolitan police website on the following link:
	http://www.met.police.uk/foi/pdfs/how_are_we_doing/corporate/mps_stops_and_searches_under_the_terrorism_act_april-august_2007.pdf

PRIME MINISTER

Departments: Correspondence

Bob Spink: To ask the Prime Minister what guidance his Office follows on the maximum time taken to respond to hon. Members' correspondence; and what performance against that target was in the most recent period for which figures are available.

Gordon Brown: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him by my right hon. Friend the Minister for the Cabinet Office (Ed Miliband) today.

Departments: Secondment

Norman Baker: To ask the Prime Minister how many staff are seconded to his Department from outside Government; from which outside body each has been seconded; and what the length is of each secondment.

Gordon Brown: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him by my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Secretary at the Office of the Leader of the House of Commons (Helen Goodman) on 18 October 2007,  Official Report, column 1182W.

Iraq: Peacekeeping Operations

Julian Lewis: To ask the Prime Minister pursuant to his answer of 15th October 2007,  Official Report, column 820W, on Iraq: peacekeeping operations, for what reason he has not identified any of the factors he took into account in deciding when to inform the Secretary of State for Defence of his decision to announce troop withdrawals from Iraq.

Gordon Brown: I have nothing further to add to the answer I gave the hon. Member on 15 October 2007,  Official Report, column 820W.

Members: Honours

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Prime Minister how many  (a) hon. and right hon. Members and  (b) Government Ministers have received honours while in post in the last 10 years.

Gordon Brown: This is a matter of public record. The Honours Lists are published in The London Gazette on the occasion of The Queen's birthday in June and at new year.